Romeo and Juliet
by marissawonderful1998
Summary: Juliet Barnes wants to be remembered as more than "that one pretty girl". When Nico di Angelo shows up on her doorstep, she is thrown into a world of opportunities. However, she discovers that she has to accompany Nico on a quest to save the world from being engulfed by darkness. Juliet soon learns what is important to her and wonders if it is too late to find her Romeo.
1. Prince Charming Pays a Visit

_Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters except Juliet and Oliver (he will appear later). All rights go to the amazing Rick Riordan._

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_Tap. Tap. Tap. _

I lowered my book and glanced around my room, searching for the source of the sound. Everything looked normal. The posters of various celebrities hung on the blue wall, just where they had been for the last two years, ever since my mom and I moved here from New York. I couldn't see anything unusual out of the second story window and the small bookshelf in the corner was still stocked with my favorite novels. I shrugged and looked back down at my book.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _

This time I stood up and set my book down. I cautiously walked over to the window and opened it. When I peered out and looked onto the front lawn, my heart almost stopped. There, standing directly below my window with a couple of pebbles in his hand, was the most gorgeous boy ever to walk the face of the earth. My mouth fell open and I stared dumbly for a couple of seconds, gazing into his piercing blue eyes and wondering how a single human being could be so perfect. After noticing his strong jawline, muscular arms, tousled blond hair, and blinding smile, I realized how weird I probably looked and I quickly closed my mouth and regained my composure. I was about to say something when Prince Charming spoke.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel. Let down your hair." His voice was as smooth and thick as honey.

"Wrong fairy tale, Romeo." I called back. He grinned at me and I had to grip the window sill to stay on my feet.

"Any fairy tale with you is the right one." He replied. The twinkle in his eye made me desperately want to leap out of the window and into his strong embrace. It took all of my self-control not to swoon, but, to my extreme embarrassment, a dreamy sigh escaped my lips and penetrated the heavy summer air. Dream Boy continued to grin at me and I felt like I was drowning in his swirling, blue eyes. I knew I had a goofy, dreamy expression plastered on my face, but I didn't care. I slowly rested my elbows on the window sill and set my chin in my hands. I felt like I was in a dream. Mr. Perfect lowered his eyes to the ground for a moment, and when he raised them they weren't blue anymore. They were hazel, like mine. I lifted my head from my hand and furrowed my eyebrows.

_ Whoa, what?_ I thought to myself. Through his white smile he spoke.

"If you don't get up in five minutes I'm going to slap you with this bacon!"

"No!" I jerked awake and grabbed at thin air, but it was too late. Romeo was gone. I groaned and fell back in my pillow. I turned my head and saw my mom standing next to my bed with a plate of bacon in one hand and a greasy spatula in the other. She was glaring at me with her hazel eyes.

"Finally!" she exclaimed and threw her spatula hand in the air. "I thought you were never going to wake up! We have to leave in two hours and you aren't even packed yet!" she tossed a piece of bacon at my face and I scowled as it hit my right eye. I sat up and started eating it. Mom turned and left my room, probably to make more bacon.

I sighed heavily and shoved my blankets off of me. I walked over to my closed window and look out at the ground. Nothing. I sighed again and began my daily routines. I grabbed a pair of blue jeans and a plain pink t-shirt from a pile of fresh laundry in the corner. After getting dressed, I checked my reflection in my vanity mirror. Since my hair was naturally straight it wasn't very tangled from sleeping. I quickly ran a brush through it and watched as it cascaded in a blonde waterfall down to the middle of my back. Next was my face. Large hazel eyes, perfectly pink lips, and an average sized nose. I grimaced as I looked at my facial features. There was nothing that stood out; nothing that would make me memorable. I just looked like another typical California girl.

I walked down the stairs and stepped into the dining room. Mom had finished making breakfast and was sitting at the table, scrolling on her iPhone. I sat down across from her and pulled the plate of pancakes towards me.

"This is a nice breakfast." I said casually. Mom looked up from her phone and nodded.

"I wanted to make something special since we aren't going to have a kitchen for the next week." I nodded in reply as I took a big bite of my pancake. We had been planning this trip to the West coast for weeks now. Ever since we moved to Los Angeles, we had wanted to take a road trip along the coast, but it had taken longer than we had thought to settle down and for mom to find a job. Dad had left us with next to nothing and it took almost sixteen years for us to be able to live comfortably. I don't remember much about Dad, but from what Mom has told me he was a real charmer, and a jerk. I swallowed another bite of pancake, along with the memory of my long gone father. Today was supposed to be a happy day.

"Well, I'm going to go and finish my packing and so should you." Mom said, putting down her phone. "I'll clean up when I'm done packing."

"Okay," I replied. I stood up and began walking back to my room when Mom suddenly added, "Oh, and can you grab the mail real fast?"

"Sure." I retraced my steps past the dining room table and to the front door. We had a short driveway that led onto the street of a small neighborhood. It took Mom forever to find this spot when most of LA is a crowded city. I walked to the end of the driveway and pulled the mail out of the mailbox. As I walked back to the house I shuffled through the mail. I wasn't surprised when there was nothing addressed to me. When I reached the steps to the porch I raised my eyes from the mail and froze in my steps. My eyes grew wider as I realized what I was seeing. Long legs were curled up to fit under a black aviator jacket and a head of untidy black hair was resting on a pair of pale, folded arms.

Not five feet away from me, a boy was passed out on my porch.


	2. The Emo Kid Delivers a Message

_Author's Note: Just so you know, this story takes place after the Giant War with Gaea. Percy and the rest of the 7 have either graduated or are at Camp Jupiter, but they might appear later in the story. Please, please, please write reviews and let me know what you think of the story! Once again, all rights go to Rick. _

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I'm not sure how long I stared at the sleeping figure. It felt like hours, but it might have been seconds. I had no idea what to do. I could have called for my mom, but that might wake him up. If I walk past him that might wake him up, too. My decision was made for me when the unconscious boy suddenly stretched out his legs and arms. My eyes grew wider, if that was possible.

_Great,_ I thought to myself. _I lose Prince Charming and gain this hobo_. By now, mystery boy had finished stretching and was sitting up, rubbing his eyes. He was still too groggy from sleep to notice that I was standing here. I remained motionless. I was afraid that if I moved even a fraction of an inch he would see me. He had finished rubbing the sleep from his eyes with this pale hand, but I couldn't see his face because his shaggy hair was covering it.

Suddenly he went rigid. He knew I was here. He slowly turned his head towards me, but before he could say anything I mustered my courage and shouted, "Don't try coming closer! I know Kung-Fu!" This was a lie, of course, but I figured it would make me seem more threatening. Apparently it did not, because the boy ignored me and stood up to put his jacket back on. Now that I could see his entire body, I observed that he was no Prince Charming. I mean, he wasn't ugly, but he sure wasn't a dream boat. He looked about sixteen years old, just a few months older than me. He was fairly tall, maybe an inch taller than me, and he was wearing all black, which made him look extra pale. His arms were small, but I could see that he had muscles. His messy black hair was in desperate need of a haircut. The only thing that clashed with his emo appearance was his eyes. They were brown and looked warm and welcoming; like melted chocolate. He took a step towards me and I held up the mail like it was a dagger.

"I'm warning you!" I said, glaring at him. "I know how to use this and I will!" Emo Boy smirked.

"What, death by mail? That's a first." His voice was not as silky as the boy in my dream, but it was almost as deep. I ignored his snarky comment. Instead I interrogated him.

"Why were you sleeping on my porch?" I demanded, raising the mail higher.

"I have a message for you." He replied casually, as if we were having a friendly conversation. "Wait, you are Juliet Barnes, right?" He asked suddenly. A flash of panic sparked in eyes. When I didn't reply, the boy groaned and rubbed between his eyes as if he had a headache. Then he started mumbling to himself, but I didn't understand any of it. "Not again! You would _think_ Chiron would know the address, but _nooo_. He only knew the city! '_Nico, lad, you need to get out into the world_,'" the boy said in a bad imitation of an older man's voice, "'_You need to go on adventures and have some fun_.' Yeah well look at how much fun I'm having now, Chiron…" The complaints slowly faded into incoherent grunts and grumbles and the boy started pacing along the porch. I think he forgot I was here, because when I cleared my throat he jumped. I was reluctant to tell this "Nico" character that I really was Juliet, but it was kind of painful watching him.

"Uh… I am Juliet Barnes." I said cautiously, lowering the mail just a little.

"Thank the gods!" Nico cried and threw his hands in the air. Then he turned to me. "You're gonna have to come with me. I have a lot of explaining to-" But I cut him off.

"Uh, yeah. You do. Like why you were sleeping on my porch?!" I was no longer holding the mail like a weapon. I wasn't scared anymore; I was angry. What did this emo kid think he was doing barging into my life? And why was he bossing me around?

"Er… well..." Nico stuttered. His face was turning red and he was scratching the back of his head with his hand. I crossed my arms and started tapping my foot. I've seen my mom this and it always made me tell the truth. I just hoped it worked on Nico. "I was…uh, tired." He finally managed to say. "But I can explain everything if we could just go inside." He added hastily, holding his arms out as if I was a bomb and he was expecting me to blow up any moment. I sighed and unfolded my arms. His shoulders sagged noticeably and he dropped his hands to his sides. Now that I knew he wasn't a threat I wasn't scared to get close to him. I walked up the porch steps and past Nico.

"Follow me." I said as I opened the front door. I stepped inside and Nico followed me. I noticed that he wiped his feet on the mat before entering.

_So he actually has manners_, I thought sarcastically. I led Nico past the living room and into the dining room, where breakfast was still sitting on the table. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and saw him eye the bacon hungrily. Suddenly I noticed how tired he looked. His shoulders were sagging and he had dark circles under his eyes. I wondered when he has last eaten. I softened my expression and turned to him.

"You can eat something if you want." I told him. He didn't say anything, but he thanked me with his eyes. Once again, I noticed how soft and dark they were. Then he lunged towards the table and began loading a plate with bacon and pancakes. Soon he was inhaling every edible item on the table. I watched in amazement as he swallowed a whole piece of bacon and reached for another. I think Nico could tell that I was staring because as he was reaching for another pancake, his hand froze in midair. I closed my mouth, which I hadn't realized was open, and straightened my shirt.

"I'm, uh, gonna go get my mom." I mumbled. Nico, whose face was noticeably red, nodded and began chewing much slower. I quickly turned and walked out of the dining room and into Mom's bedroom. She was trying to ease another shirt into the bulging suit case. She realized that it wasn't going to fit and she threw her hands in the air with an exasperated sigh. Then she saw me standing in the door way.

"Oh, hey, sweetie." She said and began combing her fingers through her straight brown hair.

"Hi." I said back awkwardly. I wasn't really sure how to tell her that a teenage boy had been sleeping on our steps. I decided to go with a safe approach. "We have a… guest."

"Oh, who is it? I didn't hear the doorbell." Mom walked past me and out of the bedroom.

"I let him in when I went to get the mail." I replied. We headed towards the kitchen and after a few seconds Mom stopped walking. I almost ran into her, but I stopped just in time. Nico was finishing the last piece of bacon and he looked up when he saw us. I took a couple steps towards Nico so that I was standing between him and my mom.

"Mom, this is Nico." I said gesturing towards the boy sitting at the table. "Nico, this is my mom." Nico tried to smile at Mom, but it looked more like a grimace. Mom still had not moved. I wasn't surprised at her reaction to Nico. She was probably wondering why the heck her daughter let a juvenile delinquent into their house. I cleared my throat and gently nudged my mother. She came out of her daze and forced a smile onto her lips.

"Hello, Nico. It's nice to meet you." Nico stood up to shake her outstretched hand. "I'm Claire."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Ms. Barnes." Once again, Nico surprised me with his politeness. Now that the introductions were out of the way there was an awkward tension in the room. Nico just stood with his hands behind his back, nervously chewing his lip and looking at the floor. Mom looked like she was going to pass out any second. Her face was pale and she kept playing with the hem of her shirt. It was up to me to break the silence.

"So…" I began tentatively. "Don't you have some things to explain, Nico?" He nodded vigorously and looked grateful to have something to do. "Let's go into the living room." I suggested. I led the way with Nico close behind. Mom was still in her zombie-like state, but she managed to trail after us. I sat down on the sofa and Nico sat across from me in a small brown recliner. Mom lowered herself onto the couch next to me and crossed her legs. I leaned forward. I really wanted to know about the message Nico had for me. Nico straightened is aviator jacket and cleared his throat. He folded his hands and rested them in his lap. I was expecting him to start explaining everything, starting with why he spent the night on our porch, but he didn't. To my surprise he turned to Mom and spoke directly to her.

"I think you know why I'm here." He said quietly. He almost sounded sorry. To my astonishment, Mom nodded. She looked on the verge of tears. "And I also think it would be best if you let me speak to Juliet alone." This time Mom hesitated. She glanced at me and I gave her a questioning look. She grasped my hand for a moment, and then she turned back to Nico. She nodded. Mom dropped my hand and exited the room. I watched her leave.

"Okay, what's going on?!" I demanded. The soft, sweet look that Nico used on my mom vanished and was replaced with a business-like expression. I sighed impatiently, and Nico began talking.

"Do you take Greek Mythology classes?" I rolled my eyes and fell back onto the couch.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I exclaimed. "Why won't you tell me anything?!"

"I'm trying!" Nico yelled back. He had lost his composure and now he looked just as impatient as I felt. "Now tell me: do you take mythology classes?" I nodded reluctantly. Nico leaned back in his chair. "Okay," he began. "So you know about Greek gods and goddesses." I sighed again, but more dramatically. "Alright! Alright!" Nico exclaimed. He folded his hands in his lap again. "You aren't going to believe me, but I'm here to tell you that they are real." I didn't understand.

"What are real?" I asked.

"Greek gods." He answered nonchalantly. I looked at Nico as if he had three heads.

_Is this guy for real?_ I thought to myself.

"Look," I began. "If you're trying to sell me something or get me to believe your weirdo religion, I don't-" But he cut me off.

"No, it's nothing like that." Nico said waving his hands and shaking his head. "But the Greek gods _are_ real and one of them is your father."

_Okay, this is getting ridiculous._ I jumped up and pointed a finger at Nico.

"You don't know anything about my father!" I screamed. I don't know why, but for some reason I felt like defending my dad. Nico did not look surprised that I had lashed out at him.

"I know he left before you were born," He replied coolly. "and has never visited you or contacted you in any way." I was stunned. My finger was still raised, so I dropped it.

"How did you…?"

"Trust me. I know what it's like." Nico suddenly had a very sad look in his eyes. He stared at the carpet, but I knew he was seeing more than the red and gold material. After a few seconds he snapped out of it and looked back at me. "One of the gods is your dad and I was sent to take you back with me to Camp Half-Blood." Nico said, standing up from the recliner. "

Camp Half-Blood?" I asked just to change the subject off of my dad. I still did not believe Nico. My dad was not good enough to be a god. And even if he was, why couldn't he ever find the time to help my mom and me out when we were short on money?

"It's a camp where children of the gods, we call them demigods, go to stay safe and train to fight monsters." Nico explained. I raised my eyebrows skeptically.

"Monsters? Seriously? Are we back in kindergarten?" Nico scowled at me. Then he pulled open his aviator jacket. There, strapped to his side, was a glowing, black sword. My eyes widened. How had I not noticed it before? I looked up at Nico's face. He looked deadly serious.

"Life as a demigod is not fun and games." He said grimly. "You either fight to survive or get torn apart by monsters." Nico's eyes no longer looked like melted chocolate. They looked dark and troubled. A shiver ran down my spine. I was relieved when Nico let his jacket fall back over his sword, but I could still see most of the gloomy blade. I hugged myself and nodded at Nico to continue. "You're going to have to pack quickly. We were supposed to be at Camp Half-Blood yesterday." My mouth fell open. It tends to do that a lot.

"We're leaving today?!" I practically screamed. "What about my mom? What about my life here? Why should I listen to a scrawny homeless boy?!" Nico's expression hardened. I felt a twinge of guilt for calling him names, but I ignored it.

"I'm sorry," he said coldly. "But we have to leave today." He walked past me and out of the living room. I plopped down onto the couch and buried my face in my hands. A heavy sigh escaped be lips.

_There goes our trip along the West coast._


	3. I Find Camp Half-Blood in a Dark Alley

I stayed on the couch for a few minutes, thinking about everything Nico had just said. None of it made any sense. How did Nico know where to find me? How could Greek Gods be real? How could _my dad_, the jerk of jerks, be one of them? Even though I had just woken up, I felt drained of all my energy. I rubbed my eyes and finally hauled myself off of the couch.

I walked out of the living room and into the dining room. Nico and Mom had been talking, but they stopped as soon as I walked in. Nico glanced at my mom and she nodded. Nico cleared his throat and said, "I'll be waiting outside." I watched the back of his head as he walked out of the dining room and out the front door. Even after he was gone, the room was still silent. I sat down next to my mom, but she didn't look up at me.

"Mom?" I asked, gently touching her arm. She lifted her head and I saw that her eyes were sad and her face was etched with deep wrinkles. "What's going on?" Mom sighed deeply, and dropped my gaze again.

"I know I should have told you this before," she began. "But I was scared someone would find out. You see, Juliet, you weren't born in a hospital." As she said the last sentence, she raised her head again and met my eyes. Hers were full of tears and mine were full of confusion. "You were… well, you came from the sky." That was the last straw. That one tiny bit of weirdness drove me over the line.

"Let's see," I began sarcastically. "Greek gods are real, Dad is one of them, I have to go to some sort of training camp for freaks or else I'll be killed by the monster under my bed, and, oh, this is the cherry on top, I'm an alien baby that fell from the sky!" I knew that I shouldn't have lashed out on my mom like that, but I was really frustrated. I've never even met my father and he is ruining my life!

"Juliet," Mom said sternly. "I know none of this makes sense, but that is no excuse to take that tone of voice with me!" I immediately felt guilty and I mumbled an apology. Mom's expression softened and she stroked my hair. "Just let me explain, okay?" I nodded and braced myself for more strange explanations. "When you were a baby," Mom continued, "you floated down from the sky on a ray of light." Mom looked at me cautiously, as if I might have another outburst. I signaled for her to continue. "I hadn't seen your dad for about a month and when he sent you I knew I would never see him again. You were the best thing that ever happened to me." Mom was crying now. Tears silently dripped onto the table. I sat there awkwardly and patted her on the back a couple of times. Once Mom had stopped crying, she smiled to herself and said, "He was so charming. I remember the first time we met. He was so handsome and he treated me like I was a somebody. He made me feel like I could be anything I wanted." Her smile faded as she moved on. "But all things fade, I guess." Mom stared at the tabletop and I could tell she was lost in another memory.

"Mom?" I asked cautiously. "How did you know Dad was a… god?" It felt weird to say it out loud and the words got stuck on my tongue.

"He told me." She replied casually.

"He told you." I repeated, dumbfounded. Who knew Dad could be honest?

"Yes. It took me a while to believe it, but when he sent you I knew he was telling the truth and I understood why he had to leave."

"So you _do_ believe all this mumbo jumbo about gods being real?" I knew that my mom wouldn't lie to me about something as serious as this. If she believed it, then it was real.

"Yes." Mom replied, looking straight into my eyes. "I do." The enormity of the situation suddenly hit me. My stomach clenched and I felt like I was going to be sick. For a second I couldn't breathe.

"So I have to leave?" I gasped. "I have to throw my life away because of these _gods_?" I put as much venom as I could into the last word. I liked it here. I loved our new house and the neighborhood was great. I didn't want to leave.

"I'm sorry, honey." My mom said, and I could tell that she really was sorry. "But it's for the best. I'll be right here when you get back at the end of summer."

"_The end of summer_?!" I cried, my eyes growing wide. "I have to stay there all summer?!" Well there go all my plans.

"I'm sure you'll like it there once you get used to it." Mom reasoned.

"But I don't want to get used to it!" I whined. "I want to stay here!" I knew I sounded like a blubbering baby, but I desperately wanted to remain in LA.

"I know, I know." Mom whispered comfortingly. "Don't worry we'll see each other soon. You should probably start packing." With a last sad smile, Mom stood and walked out the front door. I knew she was going to finish her conversation with Nico.

My entire body felt numb. I wasn't sure how I was going to get up and walk all the way upstairs, but somehow I found the energy. I felt like a robot; I was doing things, but I wasn't feeling them. I was oblivious to the world around me. When I finally snapped out of my trance, I realized that I had been trying to stuff my queen sized comforter into my suitcase. I sighed and pulled it out. I wasn't sure what I was going to need at this "camp" so I just stuck to the basics. Jeans, t –shirts, shorts, socks, and other basic necessities. When I had finished packing my clothes, I debated on whether or not to bring my makeup bag. It was kind of heavy, and I hated wearing it.

_Besides_, I thought bitterly to myself, _you're perfect without it_. For the umpteenth time in my life I wished I looked different. I looked too… generic. I wish I had brilliant green eyes. No one would forget those. Ooh, or maybe crazy curly hair. That sounds like fun. _Anything other than this boring, straight hair,_ I thought, picking up the ends if my hair daintily and wrinkling my nose as if it were a dirty diaper.

Anyways, back to the situation at hand. I compromised and decided to bring a couple of bottles of mascara and a light pink lipstick. Then I laced on my favorite pair of black converse. Once I was finished packing, I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost noon. Now that I was done packing, Nico would insist on leaving immediately. I felt like I swallowed a stone and it was resting in the bottom of my stomach. I knew that once I left this room I would not be back for three more months. I sat down on my bed and took note of little details that I had never noticed before. There was a small crack in the blue paint on the wall near the door. The corner of the window frame had a small black smudge. The carpet was started to fray on one of the corners. I smiled to myself. I had only been here two years and I had already left my mark on this house. My smile vanished when I remembered that I had to leave.

I took a deep breath and dragged my suit case out of my room. It was heavier than I thought and I struggle to carry it down the stairs. When I had finally made it into the dining room, I saw that Nico was sitting at the table with a half-eaten sandwich and my mom was standing beside him with her arms folded. No one moved when they saw me.

"I'm all packed." I said, just to break the silence. Nico stood up and pushed his chair in. He had to sweep his messy hair out of his face in order to see me.

"Okay. We should probably go." He replied. My shoulders sagged and I dropped my gaze to the floor. I think Nico noticed because he looked guilty and mumbled, "I'll be outside, again" and quickly walked out the door. Before I could do anything, Mom rushed towards me and wrapped her arms around me. We don't usually hug, and when we do it's uncomfortable, but this time I buried my face in her shoulder and hugged her back.

We stayed like that for a long time. I had never truly appreciated my mother like I did now. When she finally let me go, I felt cold. She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me square in the eye.

"I know this is confusing," she said. "But everything is going to turn fine." She smiled. "I'll write to you every day." I pretended to grimace.

"No, Mom!" I shouted in mock disgust. "Not every day! Everyone will think I'm a baby!" We laughed and for a second everything was fine. Then reality dragged us out of our happiness.

"Alright, then," Mom replied, tears shining in her eyes. "Then I'll write to you every week." I smiled at her.

"I would love that." I hugged her again, but this time it was shorter. "I love you." I whispered into her shirt. I didn't think she could hear me, but then I heard her say, "I love you too, sweetie." That was when the water works started. I tried to hold it in, but a couple tears slipped out of my eyes and left stains on Mom's shoulder.

When we pulled out of the hug, we both picked up my heavy suitcase and went onto the porch. Nico had been sitting on the steps, but he stood up when he heard us approach.

"Ready to go?" He asked. I wanted to say no, but I was afraid that if I said anything I would start crying and I was not about to let Nico see my weak side. I settled with a nod. Then I turned to my mom.

"Bye." I managed to choke out. She smiled back at me.

"Bye." Nico walked down the steps and into the drive way.

"Just follow me this way." He said, gesturing down the street. I reluctantly followed him, but I glanced back at my mom every few seconds. After walking for a few minutes, I caught up with Nico and walked next to him. I turned around to look at Mom one last time, but we had already turned the corner and the house was gone. After walking for a few more minutes in silence, I stopped dead in my tracks. I suddenly realized I had no idea where we were going. What if Nico was taking me to a dark alley where I would be brutally murdered and the police wouldn't find my body for months? When Nico realized I wasn't beside him, he turned around.

"What are you doing?" He asked impatiently.

_Staying away from a creepy dude with a sword_, I thought to myself. I figure that would probably offend him, so instead I asked, "Where is this 'Camp Half-Blood'?"

"New York." He replied, still looking impatient.

"_New York?_" I shouted, shocked. "And we're just going to walk there? You do realize it's on the other side of the country." Maybe he was more messed up in the head than I thought.

"Of course not!" Nico said, as if his plan were obvious. "We're going to shadow travel."

"Yay," I said sarcastically. "Another freaky magic trick that is no doubt connected with the gods." This time I did offend Nico.

"You aren't very nice." He said flatly. I was not expecting him to say that. It hurt my feelings a little, but I wasn't going to let him know that.

"You're no ray of sunshine yourself." I snapped. It was true. He was as pale as a ghost and he was only dressed in black. He even had as skull ring! I noticed that, like me, he was wearing black converse, which happened to be my favorite type of shoe in the world, but I wanted to stay mad at him. He didn't say anything back. He just turned around and kept walking.

"Hey!" I yelled after him. "You still haven't told me where we're going!" He didn't turn around. I yelled in frustration and stomped my ground (yes, I actually stomped my foot like the fifteen-and-a-half year old that I am). I looked back in the direction of my house. I could turn around right now and just go home. I sighed. No I couldn't. Mom would be disappointed in me. She would send me right back out the door. With an internal groan, I started walking towards Nico, my suitcase rolling behind me.

We walked for ten more minutes before he stopped and I finally caught up with him.

"We're here." He said. His voice was still cold. When I looked at the spot where he was gesturing, my blood froze. You'll never guess where he took me. That's right. A dark alley. Nico walked into the alley like he was at home there. I stayed where I was. He stopped walking when he was about halfway into the alley.

"You coming?" He asked.

_Into a dark alley with you? Yeah, no. _

"Why should I trust you?" I called back. I planted my suitcase on the sidewalk and folded me arms to add more affect.

"Your mom trusts me." Nico replied. Ouch. I had a really bad feeling about this, but I knew I had no other choice. I slowly dragged my suitcase into the alley and stopped next to Nico. I kept one eye on his sword and the other on the rest of the ally.

"Why are we here?" I asked. Nico looked at me as if it were obvious.

"You need shadows to shadow travel." He didn't say it out loud, but I could tell he wanted to add "Duh." My heart started beating faster. I wondered what shadow traveling was, but I didn't want a long explanation.

"Take my hand." Nico said, holding out his hand. I stared skeptically at his skull ring. Nico smirked. "What, scared of the dark?" He taunted. I straightened my shoulders and stood at my full height.

"No." I said defiantly and grabbed his hand. It was cold, but not clammy, and when I touched it a trill of ice ran up my spine. I was scared out my mind, but I tried to keep my hand steady.

"Hold on tight." He warned, almost grinning. He looked like he was enjoying my terror. With a half-smile he pulled me toward the end of the alley. Soon we were jogging. The walls around us were starting to go fuzzy and black. The alley was being swallowed by darkness that crept up from the shadows. Nico sped up. Then we were sprinting straight into darkness.

Shadow traveling was the most unpleasant thing I have ever had to do. Believe me when I say you do not want to try it. As soon as we ran into the shadows, the world was enveloped in darkness. It felt like 100 mph wind was blasting in my face, trying to hold me back. I couldn't see Nico, but I could feel his cold grip on my hand. I squeezed his hand tighter. There was no way I was going to let go and get lost in an internal darkness. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the world stared spinning. It started out slow, but it quickly gained speed. I spun faster and faster and I thought I was going to be sick. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, the darkness was sucked away and replaced by a blinding light. My feet slammed into solid ground and I stumbled forward.

When my eyes finally adjusted to the light I saw that I had landed next to an enormous pine tree. Oh, and an enormous dragon. I stared dumbly at the dragon until I realized that someone was holding onto my hand.

_Nico!_ I suddenly remembered. I whipped around to look at him. He looked pale (well, _paler_, if that's possible). He tried to walk forward, but he lost his balance. I released his hand and caught him before he fell. Well, I_ tried_ to catch him, but he was too heavy and he knocked me over. So, there I was; lying on a grassy hill with a nearly unconscious boy crushing the wind out of my lungs.

"Get. Off!" I grunted, rolling Nico onto the grass. He let out a puny groan as he hit the ground. I sat up and looked down the hill. When I saw what was at the bottom of the slope, I gasped. Nico winced as he sat up and said weakly, "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."


	4. I Meet the Hermes Cabin

Just at the base of the hill there was a two story house and a vast strawberry field. Yes, it was beautiful, but what really caused my jaw to drop was what lay beyond it. It looked like a whole different country. It definitely did not look like it belonged in New York. There was a huge marble platform off to the side that was filled with large tables and a huge fire pit. The building hand huge pillars lining the sides, but no roof. A little ways away from that was a large dirt pit that was filled with brown lumps. I couldn't tell what they were from here, but I could see someone hacking at them with a sword so I assumed they were targets or dummies. A little bit further away there were twelve buildings placed in the shape of a "U". The rest of the space was taken up by a large lake, grassy fields, and a forest. Everything was made out of white marble, except for a few of the twelve houses.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from the camp. I could see people running by the lake, sword fighting in the pit, and a few where even in the strawberry fields. There was something so beautiful, so magical, about this place that I suddenly didn't mind spending my entire summer here. I'm not sure what it was – relief, happiness, maybe even hope – but a warm feeling began to rise in my chest and I felt inexplicably happy.

A small groan from behind me shook me out of my stupor. Nico was struggling to stand up and he had to lean on the tree for support. I left my suitcase on the ground and rushed to his side.

"Are you alright?" I asked. He leaned heavily on my shoulder and I almost collapsed again. He looked like he was about to pass out.

"Yeah, yeah." He replied weakly. "Let's just go down into camp. I'll send someone to get your suitcase." I nodded and stared slowly walking down the hill. Well, more like dragging Nico down the hill.

"Why," I grunted, "are you so heavy?" I was starting to sweat and my arms felt like jelly. A smile tugged at the corner of Nico's lips.

"Why are you so weak?" he replied faintly. I laughed.

"Touché." We continued stumbling down the hill. When we were about half way there, something in my mind clicked into place. "This is why you were asleep on my porch!" I exclaimed. "You had shadow traveled to my house all the way from New York and you were tired." I looked at Nico expectantly. He nodded slightly and said, "Bingo." I smiled and looked down towards Camp Half-Blood. I could see two figures galloping towards us, no doubt to help me carry Nico the rest of the way to-

_Wait a second_, I thought, confused. _Galloping?_ As they came closer I saw that they had the legs of a goat. Before I could start freaking out, Nico quickly explained.

"Satyrs." Nico grunted. "Half man, half goat. They work for Mr. D." I was about to ask who Mr. D was when the two satyrs reached us and grabbed each of Nico's arms. They were both pretty muscular and they easily supported him. One of them had blonde curly hair and the other hand long dark hair. The blonde one turned to me.

"You're a new demigod?" He asked. I still hadn't gotten over the fact that he had hooves for feet and I was too shocked to speak.

_Don't freak out. Don't freak out._ I thought, desperately trying to calm myself. _This is totally normal. Yeah, I mean, there are talking goat-men at every summer camp, right? Everything is completely normal. _I nodded in reply to the satyr's question.

"Good. Then follow us." He and his friend started carrying Nico in the direction of the two story house. When he reached the porch steps the satyr said, "Wait outside. I'll send Chiron out in a minute." I nodded. Then Nico and the satyrs disappeared inside.

Chiron.

_Where have I heard that name before?_ I started pacing. _Chiron. Chiron. _Oh! Chiron! He was the guy Nico was grumbling about when I found him on my porch. I hoped that Chiron would have answers to all of my questions because I was tired of no one telling me anything.

It felt like hours, but I knew it was only minutes, before a man in a wheel chair rolled out of the house. He looked middle aged with a bushy brown beard tinged with grey. He had wrinkles around the corners of his eyes from laughing and he had a checkered blanket draped over his legs.

"Hello, Juliet." Chiron said in a kind, deep voice. I cleared my through.

"Hi." I said back. "Is Nico going to be alright?" Even though I had just met him, I felt like I Nico was the closest thing I had to a friend here.

"Oh, yes. He is quite alright." I breathed a sigh of relief. "You have some questions, no doubt." I nodded and Chiron laughed heartily. "Yes, I would expect so. However, I'm afraid we will have to wait until tomorrow for your tour to being. I'm afraid I'm rather busy at the moment and I have archery lessons in an hour." My heart sank. Chiron noticed this. "Don't worry. I will take you to your cabin and you can ask your cabin mates any questions that you have." I felt a little better knowing that at least some of my question might be answered.

"Where are the cabins?" I asked. Chiron pointed to the twelve buildings arranged in a "U"

"Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympian gods. New comers always stay in the Hermes cabin, at least until their godly parent claims them." He explained.

"Wait," I said suddenly. "You don't know who my dad is?"

"I'm afraid not." he replied. "But don't worry, you will be claimed soon. Now let's get you to your cabin."

"Okay." I mumbled. I waited for Chiron to lead the way, but then I realized there was no ramp on the porch. How was he going to get down? It turns out he didn't have to. He pulled himself out of his wheelchair. I was expecting to see human legs, but instead there was the body of a white stallion.

_Well, what did I expect?_ I thought sarcastically. _Heaven forbid there be a single normal person in this camp._ Chiron trotted down the steps and stood beside me. I had to crane my neck to look at his face.

"Just follow me this way." Chiron said, gesturing towards the cabins. Chiron led me past the marble structure that had no roof, past the dirt pit where a couple kids were throwing knives, and past a basket ball court where two blonde guys were playing basketball. Every time we passed a demigod they would stop and stare at me until I had walked past them.

I was relieved when we finally arrived at the cabins. Now that I was close up to them, I noticed that they were all decorated differently. One looked like it was growing out of the hillside and another looked like glitter machine had vomited on it. The cabin Chiron led me up to looked slightly more like a cabin that the others. It was made out of marble, but it was worn out and looked cozy.

"Well," Chiron said. "I must be going. A satyr should be arriving with your belongings any moment now. Ah, I believe that's him right there. Goodbye, Juliet."

"Bye." I said quietly. Chiron cantered away just as a young satyr galloped towards me, rolling my suitcase behind him.

"Here you go, miss." The satyr said, placing the suitcase on the ground in front of me.

"Thanks." I said. The satyr did a tiny bow and galloped away. I grabbed my suitcase's handle and rolled it toward the door of the cabin. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door. As soon as I stepped foot into the cabin, something tiny and wet was launched into my face. I dropped my suitcase in surprise and quickly wiped the sticky glob off my cheek.

"Ew, what the…" I began and then I saw a boy holding a straw that was pointed right at my face. His face spread into a grin when he realized he hit me square in the face.

"Yes!" He shouted, throwing his hands into the air. "Ha! Did you see that, Connor? _Right in the face_!" I looked around for Connor and saw him filling water balloons in the bathroom. As soon as he heard the other boy shout he dropped his water balloon and ran towards him.

"Nice!" he exclaimed. "Who did you get?"

"I don't know." said the boy who shot the spit ball at me. "Must be a new camper." Now Connor and the other boy were standing next to each other. They looked so much alike that for a second I thought I was seeing double. Then I realized that they must be twins. I suddenly realized they were both staring at me and my cheeks turned red. I would have started yelling at them for launching a wad of spit onto my face, but they both looked a lot older than me. They looked like they were old enough to go to college. They both were tall and thin with heads of curly brown hair. Connor smiled deviously and swaggered forward.

"I am the counselor of the Hermes cab-," Connor began, but the other boy cut of off.

"What? I'm the counselor!" he yelled. Connor rolled his eyes and turned to his brother.

"Travis, we've been over this a hundred times. We both know that Chiron was talking to me." Travis folded his arms angrily.

"No. He was talking to me!" he roared back. Both Connor and Travis started arguing at the same time, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. I thought I heard one of them yell "Mom always liked me better" and "You're too ugly to be the counselor." I was about to point out that they were both identical, when I suddenly felt the ground shake. Connor and Travis stopped arguing and looked out the window.

"Here they come." said Travis. Or maybe it was Connor…

"Here who come?" I asked. I was praying that it wasn't a stampede of more goat-people. Travis smiled deviously.

"Your cabin mates." I felt my heart drop to the bottom of my stomach. I hated meeting new people. I knew I was going to make a fool out of myself. "You might want to claim a bed before everyone gets back" Travis continued.

"Yeah," Connor agreed, leaning up against a bunk bed. "Cause once everyone's in here there's not gonna be enough room to twiddle your thumbs." I glanced around the cabin. It looked pretty plain. It had a wooden floor with wooden bunk beds. It was a large room, but it was so full of bunk beds and suitcases that there was hardly any space to walk. Off to the right was a door that I knew led to the small bathroom.

The footsteps grew louder and I could hear voices now. I frantically searched for a bed that had no suitcase on it. I started to panic when I couldn't find one. I walked briskly to the other end of the room and started searching there. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw an empty top bunk. The bed beneath mine was messy and covered in text books and notes. I groaned at the thought of doing homework during summer. I left my suitcase on the ground and climbed up onto my new bed.

"Brace yourselves!" Travis yelled as he jumped onto the top bunk across from Connor. Just as he finished talking, a wave of people crashed into the room. The air was instantly filled with the buzz of conversation. I watched in awe as everyone navigated easily though the junk to find there bed. Then I saw a small group of people moving towards me. I felt really nervous.

_What am I going to say?_ I thought frantically. _What if this is actually someone's bed? _To my extreme relief, no one yelled at me for sitting on their bed. No one spoke to me either. I doubt they even noticed I was here. Everyone was talking across the room to each other and no one paid any attention to me. Suddenly I realized that I hadn't seen anyone sit down on the bed below me. I peeked over the edge of the bed, but no one was there.

BANG.

I jerked my head towards the door. Standing in the door frame was the tallest person I had ever seen. As But, that's not saying much since I don't know many tall people. He was at least four inches taller than me. As soon as he realized that people were staring at him his face turned red and he mumbled an awkward apology. His legs were incredibly long and lanky and he stumbled over peoples' feet and luggage as he walked in my direction. As he got closer I could see that he had flaming red, wavy hair and a splash of freckles on his nose, but none on his arms. He had a leather laptop computer case slung over his shoulder and when he reached the bed he slipped it off and set it on his pillow.

Apparently he didn't realize I was here. I was sure he would have seen me even from far away. He was mumbling to himself about daggers and was shuffling though his notes. I cleared my throat and I could hear his head hit the bottom of my bed. When he emerged from underneath my bed he was rubbing his head.

"Oh," I said awkwardly. "Um. Sorry about that." He didn't say anything but he was squinting at me with his pale green eyes as if he wasn't sure if I was real. Finally he said, "Are you an angel?" I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it. The look on his face was too hilarious.

"What?" I asked after I had controlled my laughter. "No, of course not. Why would I be an angel?" The boy shrugged.

"Well, nobody ever takes the bed above mine and I figure if this is happening then I must be dead. Or maybe dreaming." I laughed again. This time he smiled back. "I'm Oliver, by the way." He said, holding out his hand for me to shake.

"Juliet." I replied. His eyes lit up.

"Oh, I absolutely love Shakespeare! Are you a fan?" I was about to say no when he continued talking. "Did you know he had seven siblings? I have a lot more than that, but it's still fascinating. My favorite play is probably _Hamlet_, but _Romeo and Juliet_ is great too. Oh, I wish he was still alive! How cool would it be to meet him?! It would probably be hard to hold a conversation, him being from a different time era and all, but I've been studying old English. I have my notes here somewhere if you want to see them…" Oliver's excited voice trailed off as he stared digging through his papers and textbooks.

_So this is why no one has claimed this bed_. I thought to myself. _He is an absolute nerd. _Not that I had anything against nerds. Although, I didn't really feel like spending my evening learning the difference between "thou" and "thee".

"Er, it's okay, Oliver." I said quickly. "We can do that another time." Oliver stopped looking for notes.

"Alright." He said happily. I noticed that people were wearing pajamas and starting to get underneath their covers. Was it really night time already? "We should probably go to sleep now. You're gonna have a busy day tomorrow."

"Yeah." I said quietly. "A big day."

"Well, goodnight then."

The lights were switched off and the snores of the campers filled the cabin. I laid awake staring up at the ceiling. I felt an ache in my chest and a horrible sadness filled my stomach. I missed my mom already. I even missed Nico, but don't tell him I said that. I sighed and rolled onto my side. I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to take me.


	5. Who Knew Nico Could Laugh?

_I was sitting on a merry-go-round. Everything looked dull, as if the color were being sucked out of it. Then the horse I was sitting on started moving. Slowly the merry-go round picked up speed. Soon all I could see was a blur of gray and green. I gripped my horse as tight as I could and tried not to fall off. The wind was whipping my hair into my face and tears were streaming out of my eyes. Suddenly black smoke began to rise out of my horses' nostrils. It spread through the air and joined the colors swirling around me. The dark shadows started to consume the other colors until the entire world was full of thick darkness. The shadows started pouring into my nose and throat. I didn't even have time to scream as the merry-go-round beneath me vanished and I fell into the endless oblivion._

I awoke abruptly to a wet sensation spreading through my sheets. No, I did not pee myself. This liquid was ice cold. I sat up groggily to see what was happening when a red water balloon collided with my face. The freezing water made me feel wide awake.

"AAAGH!" I screamed in surprise. "What the-" I looked up from my soaking shirt to see Connor sitting on the edge of my bed with an armful of water balloons. His grin was so wide I wondered how it fit on his face.

"Rise and shine, princess!" He said cheerily, hopping off my bed onto the floor. He wandered off down the rows of beds, probably to ambush more unsuspecting campers.

"Was that really necessary?" I yelled after him. He didn't reply, but responded by grinning and throwing another water balloon in my direction. It was a weak throw and it landed with a _splash_ on the floor. I used my blanket to wipe the water off of my face. I stuck my head over my bed to warn Oliver, but I saw that he was already soaking wet. When he saw me he smiled.

"Good morning!" He said pleasantly.

"Is it like this every morning?" I asked, looking around at the wet campers who were starting to move around the cabin.

"Pretty much." Oliver replied, shrugging. "Sometimes they blast music. Other times it's a bucket of dirt. But, that's Connor and Travis for you."

I groaned and Oliver laughed. We both climbed out of our beds and got dressed. I wore a pair of blue jeans and an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt that Travis had gotten for me. I braided my hair off to the side and didn't put any makeup on. As I tied my converse, I thought about where Nico was and what he was doing. I made a mental note to find him after breakfast.

Oliver was wearing a swirly tie dye shirt and shorts. Before we left for breakfast, he checked to make sure his lap top was still in its bag. Then he put it over his shoulder.

"Why do you carry that around with you?" I asked, pointing to the satchel.

"Hermes is the god of thievery." He said plainly. "If you don't keep your belongings close, you won't have them for long." I nodded and glanced at my suitcase. There wasn't anything extra special in it, so I didn't worry about it.

Oliver and I followed the Hermes cabin out into the fresh air. I took a deep breath. I hadn't realized how stuffy the cabin had been. I saw that other groups were coming out of their cabins. A group of Barbie-look-alikes walked out of the pink glittery cabin. Every single one of them was wearing something pink, even the guys. One of the girls saw me staring and she gave me a look that said, 'Ew, where did _that _come from?'. I quickly looked away. Back at my old school, I was in the "pretty" group; the group that terrorized the nerds and outcasts. I grimaced as I thought of the memory. I squared my shoulders and raised my chin. Maybe leaving that school wasn't so bad after all. Maybe I have a chance to be different.

The trail of kids led to the roofless dining hall. Before I could worry about where to sit, Oliver pulled on my arm and led me to a table where the entire Hermes cabin was seated. It was a really tight squeeze and I had the misfortune of sitting next to Travis. I turned to Oliver.

"Why don't people go sit at the other tables?" I asked, trying to move my elbows without bumping Travis.

"We sit according to our cabins." Oliver explained. As he said it, I noticed that the "pretties" were all at one table and a cluster of tough people dressed in red and camouflage were sitting at another table. I wondered where Nico was. I tried to pick his face out of the sea of people. I turned around as finally saw him. He was sitting three tables away, but he was all by himself. I was about to ask Oliver why he was alone, when an adult started to speak.

"Campers!" the voice shouted. I turned and saw Chiron sitting at a table with a fat guy in a tiger striped shirt. "Silence, please!" When the dining hall was quite, he continued. "It's another beautiful day, and you know what that means!" I had no idea what it meant, but apparently everyone else did because they all started cheering. Chiron smiled and continued. "That's right! The canoe races will be held at three o'clock this afternoon! Register at the Big House with a team of three. Winner does no chores for a week! Now, with that being said I would like to go over rules here at Camp Half-Blood…" Chiron droned on about staying in your cabins after midnight, no killing people during capture the flag, don't upset the monster in the lake, etc. etc. When he was finally done with his speech, he announced, "We have a new member at Camp-Half Blood."

_Oh no. No no no no no no no_. This was going to be embarrassing.

"Everyone please welcome Juliet Barnes!" The Hermes cabin all clapped, but I could hear some people snigger and whisper, 'What kind of a name is Juliet?'. I blushed angrily and quickly sat down. Once the laughter and applause had died down, the fat guy spoke up.

"As you all know," he said in an impatient voice, "I have to give this speech to you pathetic twerps every year. My name is Mr. D and I am camp director. Welcome to Camp-Half Blood. Have a great year. Stay out of trouble. Always say thank you. Don't do drugs." With a final eye roll, Mr. D stood and left his table. With a wave of Chiron's hand, the campers started to talk again. I was wondering where the food was, when suddenly an omelet appeared on Oliver's plate.

"Woah!" I gasped in surprise. Oliver looked at me and then explained.

"Just hold your plate and think about anything you want and it will appear. It's the same for cup. Just make sure you give an offering to the gods." He pointed at the fire pit in the middle of the dining hall. I summoned a cinnamon roll, some bacon, and a cup of apple juice. I felt kind of foolish, but I slid a couple pieces of bacon into the fire.

_Hey, dad?_ I whispered very quietly. _If you're out there, I would be grateful if you could claim me quickly. Uh, thanks._ After breakfast Oliver said he had to go to Latin and archery lessons, but he said he would meet after lunch. Everyone was leaving to go to their classes and soon I was standing alone next to the dining hall. I was about to go find Nico when I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. I turned around and was surprised to see Nico standing there.

"You're OK!" I shouted. I was really glad to see him and I was extremely relieved that I would not be spending the morning alone.

"Yeah," he said, smiling a little. "But I'm not going to be shadow traveling any time soon." I didn't really know what to say, so I just stood there awkwardly. "Oh, yeah!" Nico said suddenly. "Chiron said I had to give you the official tour."

"Finally!"

"Well…" Nico began, rubbing he arm."I'm not really sure where to start." I thought about it for a second, then said, "Start with the dragon."

Nico explained that the dragon was there to protect the camp. Then he showed me the sparring pit (otherwise known as the dirt pit) where he teaches sword lessons in the afternoons. We walked along the lake and past the different cabins. He explained that each cabin is for each god or goddess and is decorated accordingly.

"Wait," I said, stopping suddenly. "Who is your godly parent?" Nico raised his eyebrows.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"I took mythology in sixth grade." I explained.

"Oh, well, Hades is my dad." He said quickly. I noticed that he as avoiding my eyes.

"Oh! I remember him! God of the Underworld, right?" I looked Nico up and down. "The black clothes should have given it away." Nico smiled a little.

"Anyways, moving on..." He said as he led me towards the strawberry fields. He talked about how they were the Camp's main source of income. Then we just walked all over camp. We walked along the edge of the forest and just talked. Nico told me that satyrs usually bring demigods to camp when they are twelve, but after the Giant War with Gaea, there have been less monster to threaten demigods.

"Wait," I said, interrupting Nico. "The Giant War? And who is Gaea?"

"A war against Mother Earth. There were lots of giants involved." Nico summed up. I nodded like I knew what he was talking about.

Nico ended the tour by looping back towards the lake. We sat down on a grassy hill a few feet away.

"Well, that's Camp Half-Blood." he concluded. "What do you think?" I didn't respond immediately.

"It's beautiful." I said after a minute. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before." Nico and I stayed silent for a few minutes. We were both soaking in the sun and admiring the breathless beauty of the lake. After the long silence I turned to Nico.

"So what's your story?" I said wiggling my eyebrows at him. "Who brought you to Camp Half-Blood?" I was only trying to strike up conversation, but I knew I had struck a chord. Nico's eyes clouded and he pulled his jacket around himself protectively.

"I came when I was nine. My sister was twelve." He wouldn't look at me. Instead he watched the lake. "Another camper found me. His name was Percy. He's the son on Poseidon." Nico seemed to pale even further than he already was. "Bianca and Percy went on a quest together. Only Percy came back." I felt my entire body go cold and rigid. I could see that Nico's eyes were wet. "But that was seven years ago." He turned to me and broke out of his trance. I wanted to hug him so desperately, but I was pretty sure he would punch me if I did that. Instead I changed the conversation off of his sister.

"So, where is Percy now?" I asked tentatively. Nico shrugged.

"He graduated a few years ago. He's probably at college or something. He comes back to visit every once and a while." We fell back into silence, but it wasn't as comfortable as the previous one. I had been sitting criss cross and my knees were starting to cramp so I spread my legs out next to Nico's. Then I noticed that he was still wearing converse.

"Hey!" I shouted suddenly, pointing at his feet. "We're wearing the same shoes!" Nico looked really confused for a second, but then he laughed. And laughed and laughed and laughed. It was my turn to be confused. I guess if you are depressed for so long your laughter builds up and you eventually explode. Nico's laugh was contagious. It was loud and warm and I was soon clutching my stomach and laughing with him. After a few minutes our laughter faded we were both smiling. Nico was looking at me funny.

"What?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I've never met someone who gets that excited over shoes. Except maybe the Aphrodite cabin." I laughed again.

We rubbed our sore stomachs and relaxed. I suddenly felt Nico staring at me. I turned towards him and he immediately looked away, blushing a little bit. I looked away back at the lake, but then he spoke.

"I've never met someone like you." He said quietly. "I mean, you're so…. happy all the time." He turned to me. "I always feel so warm when I'm around you. You make me want to laugh all the time, and that's weird for a child of Hades." Nico blushed again and shook his head. "That was unbelievably corny. I can't believe I just said that."

I laughed and he smiled. That was probably the biggest compliment I had ever gotten in my life. I wanted to say something meaningful back, but I couldn't think of anything. Instead I just stayed silent and watched the waves lap at the shore.

The sun rose higher as we laughed and talked. It was so refreshing to see this boy- this emo, dark, and troubled boy- smile and laugh and have a good time. It made me feel good to see the little boy side of Nico; the one who isn't afraid to smile and be himself. It made me feel like I had a purpose. It made me feel like I had a true friend.

I was reluctant to leave the lake and go to lunch, but my growling stomach said otherwise. Nico and I slowly wandered back towards the dining hall. When we were about half way there we were ambushed by the Aphrodite cabin. As soon as they encircled us, Nico's smile vanished and his eyes turned cold. The leader of the gang stepped forward. Even in her seven inch heels she wasn't taller than Nico. She ignored me completely and spoke to Nico.

"I've been looking for you." She purred though perfectly glossed lips. "Where have you been, honey?"

_Honey?_ I almost gagged. I looked at Nico, but he was too busy avoiding the girl's stare to notice me. When Nico didn't reply to her question she continued.

"I've missed you so much." she crooned. Then she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. If my eyes could get any wider, they would have popped out of their sockets. Nico was blushing ferociously. The girl turned to me and pursed her lips.

"Hm." she said, looking me up and down. "You would do well in the Aphrodite cabin." With one last wink at Nico, she led her posy away toward her cabin. Nico released the breath he had been holding and quickly wiped off the lipstick mark on his cheek.

"So," I began awkwardly. "Was that your, uh, girlfriend?" I didn't know why I cared so much. I mean, his love life was his own business. Why did I care?

"What!" Nico's eyes grew wide. "No, no, no, no." He said, frantically waving his hands. "That was Drew, head of the Aphrodite cabin."

"And she just kisses every guy she sees?" I replied skeptically. Nico's cheeks turned red again.

"Well, no. But she does when she wants to make someone jealous." Nico glanced cautiously at me.

"Me?" I asked pointing to myself. "And why would I be jealous?" I asked, folding my arms.

"I don't know!" Nico said, throwing his arms in the air. "I don't know how the female brain works! Go ask the Hephaestus cabin. They're good with complicated machines." I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Come on." I said tugging at his arm. "Let's go get some lunch." I tried to ignore the warm feeling in my stomach that I knew was jealousy. What was I even jealous about? It's not like Nico and I are in love or anything. I mean, I only met the boy yesterday! Still, as we walked into the dining hall and Nico left to go to his own table, I felt an uncomfortable tug in my stomach. I shook my head and pushed Nico out of my mind. There was no way I was going to ruin our friendship so suddenly. Besides, I had bigger problems; I still hadn't been claimed.

* * *

_Sooo... Who do you think her dad is? Review and write who you think it is! Thank you to everyone who has already reviewed. At least I know some people like my writing :). From now on I am going to try and update the story every Sunday, but I might do it more often depending on how creative I am feeling. Thanks again!_


	6. I Get Claimed (Finally!)

I wasn't sure how the whole "claiming" thing worked but I was pretty sure I was four years overdue. Nico even said that most demigods were claimed when they were twelve and I was practically sixteen. It was already over half way through my first day at camp and Dad hadn't done anything special. Lunch was over and Nico, Oliver, me, and half of the Hermes cabin were in the sparring pit. Nico was preparing for his class and was handing swords and daggers out to everyone who didn't already have a weapon. When he got to me he placed a large, thick sword in my hands. It was so heavy that I couldn't even hold the tip of it up. When Nico saw that I was struggling to heft the chunky sword, he suppressed a laugh and handed me a long dagger. It felt like it didn't fit in my hand, but at least I could hold it up.

"Alright." Nico began, clapping his hands together. "Let's get started. I'm going to teach you a basic disarming move." Nico called one of the Hermes campers up so that he could show us the move. Then he told us to find partners. I instinctively turned towards Oliver, but I saw he was already paired with someone. My heart sank and he gave me an apologetic look. I looked around for another person, but everyone was taken.

_Just my luck_, I thought to myself. Nico saw that I had no partner so he offered to be mine.

"Aren't you supposed to be teaching people?" I asked.

"I am." He replied, leading me to the edge of the pit. "I'm teaching you." Once we had gotten to a spot away from the other groups of people, Nico raised his sword. I raised my dagger as well, but it looked puny compared to his glowing black blade. Nico seemed to read my thoughts because he said, "Don't worry. Just because it's small doesn't mean it's not powerful. I know someone who can accomplish more with a dagger than most can do with a sword."My spirits lifted. "It just means you have to move closer towards your opponent."I took a step towards him and with a swipe of my dagger I…

…was disarmed by Nico. He moved so quickly I didn't even see his hand move. One second he was preparing for my attack and the next thing I knew my dagger was lying in the grass, Nico's sword pointed at my throat.

"Woah." I gasped. "That was… amazing!" Nico smiled shyly. He lowered his sword.

"Thanks. Now, pick up your dagger and this time don't look away from me, not even for a second." We practiced for what felt like hours. I tried to parry his attacks but the dagger kept slipping out of my grip. I was so frustrated with myself and anger started clouding my vision. Nico realized that I sucked and he started going easy on me, but this just made me angrier. When my dagger fell to the ground for the hundredth time I yelled in frustration.

"Why can't I do this!" I screamed. Nico lowered his sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"This is your first day and you've had no experience with weapons." He reasoned. "Don't be so hard on yourself." I wasn't convinced.

"Everyone else can do it!" I yelled, gesturing to the other campers who were fighting each other with ease.

"They've been here for four years." Nico replied coolly. "And anyways this is a basic move for them." That made me feel worse. I couldn't even do a basic move. I was tired, I was hot, I hadn't been claimed yet, and I wanted to go home. I sighed and picked up my dagger. Suddenly Nico gasped. "Hey! I have an idea!" I raised my eyebrows.

"About what?" I asked.

"Something that will hopefully make you better at fighting. Follow me." Nico suddenly turned and led me across the camp. Nico was walking super fast and I was struggling to keep up with him.

"Hey," I said to him. "Slow down!" But Nico had already stopped and was standing in front of a shack. He swing open the door and held it open for me. I stepped inside and gasped. Weapons of every size and shape were covering the walls. Boxes of armor were piled on the floor.

"What is this place?" I asked, my mouth still gaping at the wide arrangement of weapons.

"The armory." Nico replied. "I forgot to show this to you during the tour." I was mesmerized, but also frightened by the vast amount of weaponry.

_Why would a bunch of teenagers need this many weapons?_ I thought. _Is demigod life really this dangerous?_ I was snapped out of my thoughts when Nico suddenly shoved a dagger into my hand.

"Try it out." he said. I felt like an idiot, but I swiped it through the air a couple of times. To my extreme embarrassment, the knife actually flew out of my hand and crashed into a box of armor. I winced and muttered, "Oops."

"Okay," Nico said leading me away from the daggers. "Knives are obviously not your thing." He picked up a thin sword. "Try this." It was heavier than the dagger, but I could still lift it. I tightened my grip on the handle and sliced through the air. It wasn't bad, but it felt unbalanced and I had trouble controlling my strikes.

"Not bad." Nico said, nodding his head. "But I still think we can find something better. Just look around and see if you can find anything. I should probably go check on my class. Leaving a group of teenagers alone with pointy objects probably wasn't a good idea." I laughed and nodded. Once Nico left I felt overwhelmed by the amount of swords, knives, bows and arrows, and other weapons.

_How am I supposed to find one that works for me?_ I thought. I was starting to panic. _What if I was the only one at camp who didn't have a weapon?_ I forced myself to take a couple deep breathes and began my search for the perfect weapon. I didn't even go near the bow and arrows. I had no idea how to use them and I would probably end up killing myself, rather than kill the monster. I tried a couple more swords, but they were just as bad as the first one. I found a slingshot while I was digging through a bin of armor and I tried it out. I opened the door, picked up a rock, and pulled the string back as far as it could go. When I released it, the string snapped my fingers and the rock made a puny arch and hit the ground three feet away.

_Wow. I can't even shoot a sling shot. That is pathetic. _I searched for a twenty more minutes, but I couldn't find anything. I was about to give up hope when I saw a box labeled "Medieval".

_Wait a second_, I thought to myself. _Medieval? As in knights and King Arthur? How long has this camp been around?_ I pulled the box towards me and opened it. Everything inside was covered in a layer of dust and grime. It was filled to the brim with weapons, but they were old. There were heavy axes, jewel encrusted swords, and intricate throwing knives. They looked like they belonged in a museum. I unloaded the box to see all the weapons. When I reached the bottom, I saw something that really caught my eye. I lifted it out of the box. It was a lot lighter than I thought it was going to be.

_Now _this_ is a weapon_. I hefted the bronze, medieval weapon. I had never seen a mace in real life, but now I realized how wicked they were. Unlike most maces that I've seen, this one didn't have a chain connecting the spiky ball to the handle. It was about two feet long with a metal ball a bit larger than my fist on the end. The ball was covered in sharp one inch spikes. I touched the tip of one of them and I was surprised to see that it cut my finger. You would think that after sitting in a box for who knows how long it would get dull or rusty. Underneath a layer of dirt and dust, it was a shiny bronze color. The handle was wrapped in smooth leather that felt was worn down in the shape of fingers. I was surprised when my hand fit perfectly in the spot of the previous owner's. There was a braided leather wrist strap attached to the handle and I slipped my wrist through it. I imagined a huge invisible monster lunging out from behind a pile of armor. I slashed its chest with the mace and watched as the imaginary monster crumpled to the floor and vanished. It was perfect! It felt more balanced and secure in my hand than any of the swords or daggers. I was so relieved that I actually laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" asked a voice behind me. I jumped in surprise and whipped around, pointing my weapon at the source of the voice. I saw Nico leaning casually in the doorframe.

"Oh, it's you." I said, lowering my weapon. Nico raised his eyebrows.

"You don't sound very excited to see me."

"Oh, on the contrary." I said smoothly, swaggering towards him and swinging my new weapon around. "I just wanted to show you… This bad boy!" I lifted my mace and held it in both of my hands. His eyes widened.

"Where did you get this?" He asked. I could tell that he was impressed with my choice of weapon.

"The 'Medieval' box." I replied. Nico took the mace from me and rotated it in his hands. He examined the spikes, tested the weight, and felt the grip on the handle.

"Not bad," He said, nodding in approval. "Not bad at all." I grinned at his compliment, even if it was only a small one. "I can take this over to the Hephaestus cabin if you want. They can clean it up and sharpen the spikes."

"Really? That would be awesome!" Nico and I left the armory and headed towards the cabins. I waited outside as Nico took the mace inside. I was kind of sad to be leaving it so soon, but I was even more excited to see it at its best. When Nico emerged from the building we started wandering towards the dining hall.

"Wait," I said suddenly. "Don't you have a class?" Nico shook his head.

"It ended early because of the canoe race." I looked back at the lake and saw that a small crowd was gathering. I looked back at Nico with a curious expression on my face.

"You aren't in the race?" I asked. He shook his head again, but didn't tell me why. I had never ridden in a canoe before, but it looked like fun. An idea started to form in my head. "So…" I began casually. "You have to have a team of three for the race right?"

"Yeah." Nico replied. He hadn't caught on to my idea.

"Well," I continued. "I happen to know three people who have a very good chance at winning." Nico turned to me.

"And who would that be?"

"You, me, and Oliver!" Nico stepped away from me and shook his head.

"No, no, no, no, no."

"Oh come on," I persisted. "It'll be fun! Plus, if we win we don't have to so chores for a week!" Nico did not look convinced.

"_If_ we win, which we won't." He grumbled. I folded my arms.

"Not with that attitude." Nico rolled his eyes and started walking. I jogged a couple steps to catch up with him. "Please, Nico? It's only a short race!" I grabbed his arm so that he would stop walking, but he wrenched it away and whipped around to face me. His eyes were full of dark fury.

"I said, no!" I was so surprised by his sudden outburst that all I could do was stare wide eyed at him. He was breathing heavily and the fire in his eyes was quickly replaced with shame. His face flushed and he quickly turned away from me.

"Nico?" I asked cautiously. "Is there something bothering you?" There had to be a reason for his sudden anger.

"No… It's just…" He stumbled over his words. "I… uh… can't swim." I knew there was more to his story, but I didn't want to press him for details.

"Well then we'd better not tip our boat over." Nico turned back towards me and I was surprised to see a small smile on his lips. He still looked embarrassed for yelling at me, but now his eyes were lighter and he looked scared. My mom always said facing your fears was the best way to get over them. I hoped this worked for Nico. "I'll go get Oliver." I told Nico. "I'll meet you at the lake." Nico nodded and we both headed in different directions. I wasn't that far away from the cabins so I got there quickly. I was relieved to see that Oliver was sitting on his bed, typing on his laptop. He looked up when he saw me coming.

"Oh, hey Juliet!" He stood up and greeted me. Well, he tried to stand up, but he tripped on his laptop cord and fell face first onto the floor.

"Oliver!" I ran over to help him up. I was relieved to see that he was fine, but he was rubbing his nose painfully. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Me? Oh, yeah I'm fine." He waved his hand to show that it was no big deal. "This happens all the time." Oliver did look like a clumsy guy. "Were you looking for me, or something?"

"Oh, yeah!" I said, remembering why I had come here in the first place. "I wanted to see if you wanted to be in the canoe race with me and Nico."

"_Nico_?" Oliver asked in surprise. "_Nico di Angelo_?" I realized that this was the first time I had heard his last name.

"Yes." I replied. Oliver still looked confused and shocked.

"Are we talking about the same Nico?" I laughed.

"Yes, but he doesn't really want to do it. Are you gonna join the team, or what?" Oliver nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! It sounds like fun. And I have some ideas about how we can increase the rate of the canoe. You see, if we can find the rate of the lake's current and divide it by the wind speed and then multiply that by the weight of the passengers we can…" Oliver droned on about all the mathematical equations that we could use to enhance out speed. I was pretty sure the race was going to start soon, so I interrupted him.

"Those sound great," I lied. "But we should probably get going."

"Oh, yes. That's right." Oliver and I walked back to the lake just as people were getting into their teams. I searched the crowd for Nico and saw him standing at least twenty feet away from the lake. Oliver and I jogged over to him. He was eyeing the water warily and his face was a sickly shade of green. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I was about to voice my thoughts and let Nico off the hook when Chiron started talking.

_Well, it's too late now._

The rules for the race were pretty simple; first one to the 'WARNING: MONSTER' sign and back wins. I squinted through the glare of the sun on the lake and saw that the sign was about half way across the lake. The other rules were the usual no maiming, no killing, magical items aloud, etc. I wished I had my mace with me, but even if I had it I wasn't sure what I would do with it.

"Everyone mount your boats!" Chiron shouted. On his cue, the canoes were shoved out onto the lake and the campers climbed into them. Oliver helped me push the boat out onto the lake, but Nico was still stuck the same spot.

"Come on, Nico!" I called out to him. Oliver and I were already seated, me in the front and Oliver in the back. Nico looked like he was going to pass out, but he edge his way towards the water and climbed into the canoe. He sat in between Oliver and me and gripped the edges of the boat tightly. I felt guilty for putting Nico through this, but I knew he would thank me later.

_Or not_… I thought as Nico glared at me. I wasn't worried about the fact that he couldn't swim. Last summer I worked as a lifeguard and I was a strong swimmer. I was more worried that Nico was going to hate my guts for the rest of eternity.

Once we were at the starting point, I looked around at the other teams. There were a few that consisted of campers who weren't cabin mates, but most of them were grouped based on their godly parent. There was at least one canoe per god (except for the ones who didn't have children). The Ares cabin had two boats and the Hermes cabin had five. I smirked when I saw that there was no Aphrodite team. I glanced back at Nico, but he was still holding on to the sides of the boat.

"On your mark," Chiron shouted. I raised my oar and got ready to pull it through the water. "Get set, go!" Oliver and I began paddling. We didn't turn in circles, which was good, but we were going at a snail's pace. All the other boats, except Demeter's, were ahead of us.

"Nico!" I shouted, still paddling with all my might. "You have to help us!" I couldn't see him, but I was sure Nico was shaking his head.

"You said I had to be part of the team." He yelled back. "You never said anything about participating!" I groaned in frustration.

"Well it wouldn't hurt!" My shoulders were starting to burn and I could hear Oliver's heavy breathing. We were slowing down and even the Demeter cabin was ahead of us. I was about to give up completely, when suddenly there was a burst of speed and we surged forward. I shot a glance at Nico and saw that he was rowing with us. He still looked sick, but at least he was helping.

Now that all of us were working, we began to pick up speed. We left the Demeter cabin in the dust and quickly passed the Ares team, all of the Hermes canoes, and the Dionysus cabin. Now there were only three canoes in front of us. We had finally reached the halfway point and my arms felt like jelly. I knew we wouldn't be able to pass the other boats with just our rowing skills. I smiled as I began to form a plan.

"Guys," I yelled over the sound of the oar slapping the water. "We need to get close to the Hephaestus cabin!" They were only a few feet away from us.

"Why?" I heard Oliver yell back.

"We're going to tip their boat!" Oliver laughed in response, but Nico had a meltdown.

"What? Are you crazy?" He yelled. "It's too risky! What if they tip us over?"

"Don't worry; I know what I'm doing." I really didn't, but I thought it was worth a try. We steered towards the opponents' canoe. When we were neck and neck, I yelled, "Now!" With a powerful push form our oars, we crashed into the other boat. It was forceful enough to rock both our boats, but not enough to capsize them. I reached out to grab their boat and tried to pull it down into the water. My arm was too weak and tired to pull it down far enough, but then I saw Nico and Oliver grab the boat as well. I grinned and we all pushed down. I watched as the boat filled with water and flipped over. The campers yelled at us as the floundered and tried to grab hold of their boat. I laughed, but it quickly died down as I saw how far ahead the other boats were.

"Come on!" I shouted. We rowed as fast and hard as we could, but there was no way we could cover enough distance to pass them. I kept rowing anyways.

"I have an idea!" Oliver said. "We have to turn 14 degrees to the east! That way the current will push us further and we might be able to catch up!" Well, we've got nothing to lose.

"Um, how much is 14 degrees east?" I asked.

"I'll show you." Oliver replied. I waited and, sure enough, the boat turned to the right just a little. "Now row!" I ignored the stiffness in my neck and shoulders and paddled like there was no tomorrow. Oliver was right. We began to pick up much more speed until we were practically cruising over the water. Soon we were only five feet away from the Ares cabin.

"Keep going!" Oliver shouted. We were slowly gaining on the other canoe. After a minute we were right next to each other, I didn't risk tipping over their boat, I just kept paddling. I could see the finish line about twenty feet away. I knew we wouldn't be able to pass the other two boats, but I was determined to beat the Ares cabin. The shoreline grew larger and larger, but we were still neck and neck. Wait, no! We were pulling ahead! Just as we pulled ahead of the Ares cabin, we passed the finish line. I could hear Oliver laughing and I couldn't help but smile. I heard Chiron announce the winners, Apollo in first place, Athena in second, and us in third. We pulled up onto the shore and Nico immediately jumped out. I almost expected him to started kissing the ground, but he only stormed away from the lake and into the forest. I was about to go after him when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and my heart stopped. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

There, standing in front of me, was Prince Charming. The boy from my dream, complete with blue eyes, tan skin, and blonde hair, was standing _right in front of me_.

"I'm Will." He said warmly. "Son of Apollo." I was almost too shocked to respond, but I managed to introduce myself. Well, kind of.

"I'm, uh… I'm…" Oh, no. I was freezing up.

_What is my name? What is my name?! _

"Juliet!" I yelled suddenly. Will jumped in surprise. I blushed and cleared my throat. "Juliet… that's my name." I tried to laugh, but it came out as a nervous chuckle. Will had recovered from my sudden outburst and smiled. It took all of my strength not to melt on the spot.

"It's nice to meet you, Juliet." He held out his hand and I shook it. Will's eyes suddenly widened. "Juliet, you're hot!" I felt my face turn tomato red. I hated it when guys talked about my appearance.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." I mumbled. Will shook his head and pulled his hand away.

"No! You're skin! It's burning!" He looked down at my hands and, sure enough, they were glowing and radiating heat. I looked up at Will and tried not to panic.

"What's happening?" I asked as calm as I could. "What's going on?" But Will wasn't paying attention to me. He was squinting at the air above my head. I looked up and immediately put my hand over my face. The sun was shining directly above me and was bathing me in a ray of scorching light. I didn't feel any different, but the campers around me were backing away from the heat. I looked around for someone to explain this and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Chiron. I expected him to freak out and dowse me in water, but he only smiled.

"Everyone give a warm welcome to Juliet Barnes," he announced loudly. "Daughter of Apollo."

* * *

_Wow. That was long. I hope you guys like it! Review and let me know what you think. Everyone who guessed Apollo was right (and by everyone I mean Guest :) ). I just want to give a shout out to The Gummy Bears Are Coming for reviewing on a lot of my chapters and always having something good to say :). _


	7. I Meet My New Family

I guess I was in shock because the only thing that I could think about was the fact that Will was my half-brother, which meant he was off limits.

_That's just great_, I thought bitterly while all the other campers applauded. _Mr. Perfect stolen away once again. _On the bright side, my dad had finally claimed me! _Apollo, huh?_ I racked my brain for information from my mythology class. I couldn't remember much, but I was fairly sure he was the God of the sun. I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that the cheers had died away and that Will had been talking to me.

"… to get your stuff." He was saying. "Everyone else is already at the cabin. I'll introduce you and then you can get settled in." I looked up into his brilliant blue eyes, but I didn't get the same swooping feeling in my stomach. That probably had something to do with the fact that I knew he was my brother, which made him a lot less attractive.

"That sounds great." I replied, matching his wide grin. I waved goodbye to Oliver and told him that I would see him tomorrow.

"Right this way." Will said. He led me toward the cabins and I took a _completely_ random guess as to which cabin we were headed to. There was absolutely _no way_ it could be the cabin with gold trim and a painting of the sun above the door. Turns out it was. Big shocker. Will led me through the white and gold door and I couldn't help but gasp when I stepped inside.

It was _way _nicer than the Hermes cabin. The entire cabin was filled with bright colors; shiny wooden walls, blue and gold curtains, multicolored rugs, and yellow embroidered quilts. I didn't think it was possible for there to be so much light and color in one room and for it to still look good. I don't know how they did it, but it looked amazing. There were three large windows, one facing the lake, one looking out at the other cabins, and another facing the dining hall. Warm sunlight was pouring in and lighting up the room. The room was just as big as the Hermes cabin, but there were only three bunk beds. They were in mint condition and neatly made. There was a small fountain in the corner that was creating tiny rainbows in its mist. There was a table in the corner surrounded by comfy looking chairs. My gaze wandered to the ceiling and my jaw dropped. Just like the dining hall, there was no roof.

_But I could have sworn there was a roof on the outside_, I thought. Will saw me gazing in awe at the ceiling and he smiled.

"It's enchanted." He explained. "It shows the sun's path across the sky and in the night it shows the moon, as a tribute to Artemis."

"Oh," I said. "So, kind of like the ceiling at Hogwarts." Will furrowed his eyebrows.

"Hogwarts?" He asked in a confused voice. "Is that another demigod camp?" Obviously he had never read the books. I was surprised that he had never even heard of them.

"Uh, it's from a book." I clarified. The confusion vanished from Will's face and his cheery smile returned. All of the sudden I realized that we were not alone. There were three other people sitting at the desk All of them were staring at me. Will led me over to them.

"Juliet, these are your half-brothers and sisters." I never thought I would hear that in my life. I stood in front of them awkwardly and mumbled out a greeting. There was another drop-dead-gorgeous boy sitting on the table next to two incredibly beautiful girls. They all had sun kissed skin and incredibly white smiles. "This is Austin," Will continue, gesturing to the other boy. Austin smiled and waved a little. His hair was curly and it stuck out at odd angles, but it still looked good. His smile was so contagious that I couldn't help but smile back. I noticed that he didn't have pure blue eyes like everyone else, but instead he had light green eyes. I felt better knowing that you didn't have to have blue eyes to fit into the Apollo cabin. "And this is Vitoria and Kayla." Both of them smiled and said hi. I was beginning to realize that there was a lot of smiling associated with the Apollo cabin.

Like Will, Victoria and Kayla had big blue eyes. Victoria had hair as blonde as a white sandy beach. It was a little shorter than mine and was styled with perfect beach waves. She looked like she belonged in the Aphrodite cabin, but, thankfully, she had a smile on her face and not a smirk. Kayla was the one stood out the most, and I admired her for it. She definitely looked like she belonged in the Apollo cabin, except was more punk than beach babe. Her hair was cut in a short, layered bob, completely different from mine or Victoria's. Unlike the rest of us she had a soft brown hair color. It was almost blonde, but not quite. She wore a little bit of eye liner that made her blue eyes look even bolder. Everyone else was wearing sandals, but she was clad in black, studded combat boots. Kayla definitely was not as punk as the Ares cabin or as emo as Nico, but she had her own half-rebellious, half-good girl style and I immediately liked her for it. Will turned to me.

"Now that you've been introduced to everyone I can help you pick your lessons, if you want." I was about to nod when Victoria suddenly jumped up, full of enthusiasm.

"I can take her!" she shouted. I was shocked by her excitement. I didn't realize that people were so fond to hang out with me. Kayla stood up, too.

"Yeah, I'll come, too. It can be a girl's night out." Austin folded his arms.

"Except that it's not night time and you'll only be gone for half an hour and-" but he never finished his sentence because Kayla pushed him off the desk. I tried to hold my giggle in, but when Victoria burst out laughing I joined her.

"Come along sisters." Kayla said in a fake haughty voice. "We mustn't surround ourselves with such scum." Victoria could hardly contain another giggle as Kayla swaggered out of the room. Will was shaking his head, but he was smiling and so was Austin. Victoria and I followed Kayla out of the cabin and I realized we were heading towards the Big House.

"So," Victoria began. "What do you think about Camp Half-Blood so far?" I didn't respond at first. I thought about the satyrs, about shadow traveling, about spending the night in the Hermes cabin, about Nico's laugh, about Oliver's nerdy spiels, about my new weapon, and about the canoe race. Then I smiled.

"It's incredible!" Kayla and Victoria laughed.

"Yeah, it is." Kayla agreed. We walked a few more steps in silence, but I was eager to know more about my new sisters.

_Sisters._ The word felt weird to say, even if it was only in my head.

"So how long have you guys been coming here?" I asked. Kayla was the one who responded.

"Well, I've been here since I was twelve and I'm seventeen now." Kayla nodded towards Victoria. "Vic came a few months after me and she's turning sixteen in a couple weeks. Austin came later than usual. He came last year when he was fourteen." I raised my eyebrows. Austin was only fifteen? He looked older than me. "He's the baby of the bunch."

"Both physically and mentally." Victoria added. This caused another round of laugher.

"What about Will?" I asked after catching my breath.

"He's been here a loooong time." Kayla replied. "He came when he was twelve, just like me, but now he's in his second year of college. He's always calling us 'kids'. Like he's so old…" As Kayla said this, Victoria hunched her back over and pretended to wave an invisible cane at us. Even with a grumpy old man expression on her face she was still super pretty.

"Now, now, youngsters" She scolded us. "You should respect your elders! Kids these days…" We laughed the rest of the way to the Big House. I was so glad that these girls had personalities, unlike the snooty Aphrodite cabin. The two daughters of Apollo were just as pretty, if not prettier, but they were actually fun to be around. When we finally arrived we were wiping tears from our eyes and rubbing our sore stomachs. When we walked inside I was surprised to see that it looked like a normal house. Well, other than the mounted tiger head that roared at us as we entered.

"Chiron?" Kayla yelled. "Are you here?" When there was no reply she turned back to me. "I know where he keeps his files so I'll go get you an activities sheet."

"Okay, great." I replied. Kayla walked into another room, but I could still hear the muffled sound of her heavy boots hitting the floor.

"So," Victoria said casually. "Which satyr brought you here?"

"Actually, a satyr didn't bring me. Nico di Angelo did." Victoria looked surprised.

"Really?" She asked leaning towards me. "Was it romantic?" I took a step back.

"What?"

"Practically everyone girl in camp has a crush on him." She explained nonchalantly. "Sure, he's not the most attractive boy out there, but there's something about his dark, mysterious eyes that make girls go crazy." I almost nodded. Almost.

_No. You don't even know him! You do not have a crush on him._ I was so busy internally scolding myself that I didn't notice Kayla enter the room with a vanilla colored folder in her hands. She waved it around in triumph and I broke out of my daze.

"Found it!" she sang. I sat between Victoria and Kayla on the blue sofa and we shuffled through the papers. Kayla pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and handed it to me. "I'll read off the lessons and you write down the ones that you want. Then Chiron will organize your schedule, okay?" I nodded. "Since you're the daughter of Apollo you're required to try archery, biokinesis, and photokinesis."

"I have to learn photosynthesis?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "Isn't that for plants?" Kayla laughed and shook her head.

"No. It's called photokinesis. It's a class where you learn to control light. You can blind people, shoot rays of light, and create hallucinations. It's pretty cool, but it takes some practice to get it right."

"Oh, okay. And what about the other one, what was it called? Bio-something-or-other?"

"Biokinesis. It basically means healing." I wrote down the three lessons that were required and Kayla pulled out a sheet full of other options. "You don't have to take any normal classes, like math and Latin." She continued. "It's not required in the summer."

_Halleluiah!_ I thought to myself.

"Okay, here we go." Kayla began reading off all the options and I quickly wrote down the ones that I thought were interesting. Every now and then Victoria would interrupt and give her input.

"Ooh! I'm taking Pegasus flying lessons! You should take them with me!" or "Oh, don't pick that one. It's super boring." After a half-hour of looking over the classes, I had chosen sword fighting, study of the gods (I figured I needed to brush up on my mythology), battle planning, and camp clean up, along with my required lessons. Kayla was putting the file on Chiron's desk when the dinner bell rang.

"Chow time!" she shouted and the three of us headed towards the dining pavilion. We arrived before anyone else and sat at our designated table. I saw large groups of campers making their way towards us, and one person walking alone. As they came closer I realized it was Nico. I smiled and waved at him as he walked towards his table, but he ignored me and sat with his back towards me. My smile faded and I dropped my hand. Maybe I shouldn't have forced him to be in the canoe race.

_I just hope he doesn't hate me forever._ I thought sadly. I was pulled out of my thoughts when Austin sat down next to me.

"So how was your 'girl's night out'" He asked, putting air quotations around 'girls night out'. I smiled.

"It was fun." I replied. Austin leaned towards and pretended to whisper, but it was loud enough for the rest of the table to hear.

"Don't worry," He whisper-shouted. "I know it was horrible. You can give me the details later." I laughed and Kayla rolled her eyes. Once Will sat down at the table we all summoned our food. I had a turkey sandwich, an orange, and some potato chips. I slid some of my chips into the fire and mumbled a 'thank you' to my dad for claiming me. ON my way back to my table I glanced at Nico, but he avoided my eye and hunched his shoulders over the pomegranate he was eating. I sighed and sat back down. I didn't see him stand up and storm back into forest.

I didn't think about Nico for the rest of the evening. I was too busy laughing at Austin as he imitated Mr. D and droned on about "stupid little runts who never leave me alone!" I was too engaged in a conversation with Will about my home in L.A. and I couldn't stop laughing at the jokes Victoria and Kayla told. I couldn't remember the last time I had so much fun. By the time we were done eating the sun was setting and the sky was stained pink. Will led us towards the lake where someone had built a huge bonfire. I watched in amazement as it turned from a flaming orange to a vibrant purple. I was still buzzing from the excitement of the day and I joined in as people started singing campfire songs. I was so full of happiness that I wasn't embarrassed to belt out the lyrics with the rest of the campers. The fire burned higher as we sang. I was so caught up in the flames and laughter that I didn't notice a dark figure limp out of the forest. I didn't notice that they were covered in blood. I didn't notice that they had collapsed into the grass, too weak to move forward.

I didn't notice that it was Nico.

* * *

_Cliff hanger! Hey, at least it's not as bad as MoA. I decided to post this chapter a day early, just for the sake of it. What did you guys think? Was it too slow paced? Do you want more details? Review and let me know what you think! I've was super busy this week and I probably will be next week, too, so if the next chapter is late then I am apologize in advance. _


	8. Nico is Such an Idiot

I was jerked awake by a pounding at the door. I'd been having the same dream that I had last night, only this time I fell from the top of a Ferris Wheel. I had woken up at the exact moment that I was falling into the shadows so when I opened my eyes and saw that the cabin was pitch black I almost had a panic attack. The banging on the door resumed and I was about to climb down from my top bunk when I heard Kayla groan.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." She grumbled. I heard her shuffle towards the door and I rubbed my eyes. It was still too dark to see, but I heard Kayla turn the door handle. I recognized the hurried voice of a satyr.

"Chiron needs you. Bleeeh." He bleated nervously. "A camper has been attacked. He's wounded pretty bad. Chiron needs your help healing him. We have to go. _Now_." I squinted to try and see through the dark, but it was no use.

"I'm ready." I heard Kayla reply. There was no trace of sleep in her voice. It sounded grim and determined. I was still too groggy from sleep to comprehend what was going on. I rubbed my eyes again and pulled back the covers. I didn't know what time it was, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. I climbed down from my bed, careful not to disturb my cabin mates. I stumbled toward Victoria's alarm clock and saw that it was three o'clock. I groaned and rubbed my face as I realized that I had only gotten four hours of sleep. I headed to the bathroom and took a long shower. As I rinsed my hair I thought about the camper who had been attacked. I suddenly felt like something, or someone, was watching me and I ripped the shower curtain. Nothing. I wished that I had my mace with me. That would make me feel safer.

I finished my shower and pulled on a pair of cutoff shorts and a "Go Tigers!" sweater that I got from my school. I left my hair down so that it would dry. When I checked the clock again it was almost four o'clock. I looked out the window at the lake and saw that the sun was just peaking over the horizon. I sat down at one of the plush chairs at the desk. I didn't have any homework or game console so I just stared at a scratch in the desk. After ten minutes of this painful boredom I decided to go outside. I was a little cautious at first, considering a camper had just been attacked, but Austin's snoring was driving me crazy.

It was a cool morning and the grass was wet with dew. I strolled towards the lake, my hands in my pockets, and watched the sun rise higher. This morning the sky was golden and speckled with gray clouds. I noticed that there were no other campers out and about. In fact, I was the only one awake. Well, other than Kayla and Chiron. I glanced back at the Big House. I was fairly sure that Kayla would be there, attending to the wounded camper. For some reason I couldn't stop thinking about him (or her). My mind seemed to keep wandering back to it. I decided to head towards the Big House and see if they were alright. I knew I would probably just get in the way, but there was the small chance that I might be useful.

When I reached the Big House the Sun had risen completely. I was about to open the door when it opened all on its own. Well, that's what I thought had happened. When I looked up I saw that Kayla was standing there. Her hair was messy and she had dark circles under her eyes. I gasped when I saw blood smudged on her shirt. She gave me a small smile.

"He's okay." She whispered hoarsely. "You can go see him." She shuffled past me before I could ask who she was talking about. Still confused, I walked inside. There was a door to the right and a hallway to the left. I had no idea which one would take me to the infirmary, so I chose the door. Apparently I was correct because I saw a bed with a person lying in it. Chiron was standing over him. I hesitantly walked towards the bed. Then I recognized the messy black hair, the pale skin.

"Nico." I choked out. "Oh my gods. What happened?" I wanted to touch him, but I was afraid I might hurt him. He looked so fragile. His face was so bruised and scarred that I could hardly recognize him.

"A monster attacked him. He might not have made it if one of the Harpies hadn't found him lying near the forest. We won't be able to know anything else until he wakes up." Chiron smile softly when he saw the concern in my eyes. "I'll leave you two alone. Call me if you need me." I didn't watch him trot out of the room. I kept my eyes on Nico.

I just stood there staring in shock at his scarred body. A thin blanket was pulled up to his waist. I tried not to stare at his band torso, but it was so horrendous that I could not pull my eyes away. His torn and bloody shirt and coat were lying in the corner. His chest was wrapped in white gauze that was quickly turning red. His knuckles were bruised and his shoulders were decorated with deep gouges. I was sure that he had some broken ribs or some sort of internal injury.

When I had finally grown accustomed to Nico's wounds I felt awkward just standing next to him. I wasn't sure if I should sit on the bed next to him or sit in the chair in the corner of the room. I decided to stay close by and sit on the edge of the bed. I slowly lowered myself next to his legs ad carefully as I could, but I accidently brushed his leg. When he let out a whimper of pain I shot back up.

"Nico?" I asked quietly, leaning towards his face. "Are you awake?" When he didn't respond I stood up straight and resumed my awkward position next to his bed. Suddenly I got a brilliant idea; I would move the chair next to his bed so that I could sit down without squashing him. I mentally punched myself for not thinking of this early, but, hey, there's a reason I'm not in the Athena cabin.

The chair was heavier than I thought and I had to drag it across the room. It made horrible screeching noises and it scratched the floor a little bit, but no one came in to see what I was doing. When I had finally positioned the chair near Nico's head I was out of breathe. I sat down and leaned back in it. As I stared at Nico I was once again struck by how violent his wounds were. I wanted to do something so that he knew I was here, but what?

_You could hold his hand_, my conscious spoke up. I imagined myself holding Nico's hand and stroking the hair off of his forehead, whispering encouraging words into his ears. I rolled my eyes at myself. _Yeah, not gonna happen_, I told my conscious. I decided to talk to him instead. If it worked for people in comas then it might work for someone unconscious. Besides, it was too quiet in here.

"You're such an idiot." I told him, although there was no anger in my voice. "It was just a canoe race. There was no need to run off and get yourself killed. At least you're ok." I told Nico about my day yesterday. I told him about meeting Will, Austin, Victoria, and Kayla. I told him about our 'girl's night out' and how I picked all my lessons (I didn't tell him about the conversation Victoria and I had about him). I told him how I wanted him to stop being mad at me and how it was fun hanging out with him. Once I was finished talking about camp, I talked about my mom, about the day we moved to L.A., my fifteenth birthday, and how I would be turning sixteen on the last day of August. I must have been talking for hours because my throat was raw and my voice was hoarse. I had run out of things to talk about, but now the silence was peaceful, as if everything I had said was floating through the air and filling the empty space with thoughts.

I sat in silence for a few minutes. I gazed at Nico's bruised face and wave of emotion flooded over me. I suddenly felt tired, cold, angry, depressed, and heartbroken all at the same time. I was surprised to feel a lump forming in my throat. I had no idea why I felt so attached to Nico, but there was something about him that made me feel like we clicked. Like two pieces of a puzzle.

"Please," I whispered my voice raw from talking. "Don't die." I pulled my knees up to my chest and tried to hug some of the warmth back into my body. I took advantage of the fact that Nico was unconscious and took note of tiny details that I never noticed before. His fingers were long and thin and his skull ring was on the middle finger of his left hand. His hair was unruly and tangled except for one black curl behind his ear. His nose curved up just a little bit at the end. His lips were thin and a dusty shade of pink, but I remembered that when he smiled they seemed to come alive and were full of color and life. And his eyes would laugh, too, because his smile was too big for his mouth to express.

I glanced out the window and saw that campers were starting to come out of their cabins. Some of them were full of energy and starting up a game of volleyball. Others looked like zombies who had just risen from the grave. I turned back to Nico and nearly jumped out of my seat.

"You're awake!" I exclaimed. He was staring at me with his deep, brown eyes.

"Yup." He said weakly. His voice was gravely, as if he had been gargling rocks. I leaned forward in my seat.

"Are you alright?" Of course he wasn't alright. He had just been mauled by who-knows-what. I was so relieved he was awake that words started spewing out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Wait, that was a stupid question of course you're not all right, I mean, you look like terrible, well _you_ don't look terrible but your cuts do, actually you're pretty handsome for someone who almost got killed and-" but before I could embarrass myself further Nico interrupted me.

"Juliet?" He asked. My eyes were wide and adrenaline was rushing through my veins.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Shut up." He tried to give me a half smile, but it came out as a grimace of pain. I was still pale faced and wide eyed and I couldn't tear my eyes away from his. I could only see one of his eyes because the other was swollen shut, but I was so close to him that I could see tiny flecks of gold swimming around his pupil. His eye was a lighter, creamier shade brown today; milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate. I felt like I was drowning in his rich eyes, like the air was slowly being pressed from my lungs and filled with a sweet, warm feeling.

Then Nico blinked and the feeling vanished. I hadn't realized how close I was to him and I quickly leaned back in my chair and tried to hide my red face.

"You scared me for a second, there." I said louder than I had intended. Nico didn't say anything. He kept staring at me with a curious look in his eye, as if I were a puzzle he was trying to solve. Then he stared at the wall and spoke in a hoarse whisper.

"I'm not dead."

_Crap_. "You heard that?" I could feel more heat crawl up my neck. I thanked the gods that Nico wasn't looking at me.

"Yeah." He replied quietly. The room was once again filled with awkward tension. I didn't know what to say to break the silence, but luckily Nico did. "And I also heard you call me an idiot." I laughed, partly because he was funny but mostly because I was relieved that the awkwardness was gone. "I mean, who does that?" Nico ranted. I smiled again. I like being around this Nico. Not the Nico who is cold hearted, moody, and shuts everyone out. _This_ Nico. The one who has a great sense of humor, a contagious laugh, and the heart of a nine year-old. I felt a huge weight lift off of my shoulders and I sighed happily.

Nico was still pretending to be angry at me when I suddenly jumped out of my chair. He stopped talking and looked at me quizzically.

"I completely forgot about Chiron!" I exclaimed. "I'll be right back." I hurried out of the room and walked to Chiron's desk. He was back in his wheel chair and was looking through some files. I cleared my throat and he looked up. His eyes immediately clouded with concern when he saw that it was me.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, stepping out of his wheelchair. I nodded quickly and he sighed in relief.

"He's awake!" I almost shouted. Another burst of relief and happiness hit me and it took all my will not to do a little celebratory dance. Chiron smiled widely.

"Well, let's see how he's doing, shall we?" We made our way back to Nico's room and walked in. I gave him a small smile, but he didn't return it. Frustration and anger swelled up in my chest. Why is he only himself when he's around me?

_Honestly_, I thought angrily_, how hard is it to smile around people?_ I swallowed my annoyance and followed Chiron to Nico's bedside.

"How do you feel?" Chiron asked as he unwound some of the bandages around Nico's arm. Nico winced and groaned in reply. "Yes, I thought so." Chiron said. When the wound was rewrapped Chiron stepped back and spoke again. "Nico, are you aware of what happened last night?"

"Yes." Nico's voice was monotone and he didn't make eye contact with Chiron.

"So you know what attacked you?" Chiron inquired, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes." Chiron's eyes widened. Nico looked up and met Chiron's eyes. "It was a Strix." Chiron's face blanched and he took a step back. I looked back and forth at Nico and Chiron, waiting for someone to explain. Chiron finally snapped out of his daze and turned to me.

"I apologize, Juliet." He said with a smile. "I forgot that you have not started your mythology lessons yet. A Strix is an ancient creature, it's… what do the campers call it these days? A man eating owl?" Nico nodded and I nearly choked. Chiron glanced around nervously, as if he thought there was a Strix watching us. Then he started to pace. "They are usually such docile creatures. I don't know what one was doing in this camp and why it was so hostile…" Suddenly Chiron stopped pacing. "Unless it had instructions to kill someone. Unless someone summoned it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I interrupted. "What do you mean 'someone summoned it'? Why would someone want to kill Nico?"

"We stock monsters in the forest for campers to fight." Chiron explained. "We don't supply Strixs because they can become vicious creatures. Monsters cannot cross the boundary line into this camp, but they can be summoned. It is a very dangerous task and it takes lots of practice, but it can be done. The only question is who summoned it." Chiron resumed his thoughtful pacing. After a few minutes of silence a theory struck me with such force that I almost fell over.

"Athena!" I exclaimed. "What if it was Athena?" I looked up at Chiron, expecting him to pat me on the shoulder and congratulate me on my brilliance. Instead he looked down at me with a look that reminded me of a father scolding his child.

"Juliet, I know you are new here, but it is very dangerous to accuse a god of such crimes." My heart sank.

"I just thought-" but Chiron interrupted me.

"That since Athena's symbol is the owl she sent a Strix to attack one of the campers as a way to send a message?" I nodded and lowered my eyes to the floor. Chiron's voice softened. "Yes, that was my first theory, but Athena has had no rivalry with us." I felt better knowing that I wasn't completely off track. "What else does the owl symbolize?" Chiron mumbled, more to himself than to me. "Wisdom, tranquility… what else?" Chiron's eyes widened and he answered his own question. "Darkness."

I glanced at Nico and he shrugged.

"Darkness?" I asked Chiron. He nodded, but he was still lost in thought.

"Yes, they are creatures of the night. Creatures of darkness." He ran his fingers through his shaggy brown hair. "No… It can't be." I had no idea why Chiron was so distressed, but instead of explain he told me to get Kayla. "Tell her to change Nico's bandages." Then he left the room, mumbling to himself about owls, darkness, and prophecies. I turned to Nico.

"What was that all about?" I asked, thoroughly confused. Nico only shrugged and then grimaced as his wounded shoulders brushed his pillow. I gave him one last curious look before leaving to get Kayla.

As I stepped out of the Big House I was met by the blinding glare of the sun. I shielded my eyes as I stepped onto the grass and headed toward the cabin. Kayla was probably still asleep, even though it was probably past eight o'clock. No one was left at the dining hall and I saw some people starting their archery lessons.

When I reached the cabin I pushed open the door and stepped inside. Just as I had assumed, Kayla was snoring quietly in her bed. I felt really bad about waking her up, but I knew that Nico's wounds needed more attention.

"Kayla." I whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. "Kayla." I shook her harder. "Kayla!" She jumped up so quickly that I fell backwards.

"Not the tuna!" She screamed. Then she realized that she was awake and I was lying on the floor next to her. "Oh, sorry!" She apologized while helping me up. She looked just as tired as she had been a few hours ago. Her brown hair was sticking up in odd angles and her eyes drooped every time she blinked.

"Chiron sent me to tell you that Nico needs his bandages changed." Kayla nodded and then yawned.

"I'll just be a few minutes." She mumbled as she shuffled towards the bathroom. I awkwardly stood in the center of the room, not sure what to do with myself. Breakfast was already over and I didn't have any lessons yet. I decided to reorganize my suitcase, just to waste time. I refolded all of my shirts, straightened out my pants, and even matched all of my socks. I cleaned out the front pocket of my suitcase and fount old candy wrappers, a broken crayon, and my old iPod. I had completely forgotten about the iPod shuffle I had gotten for my twelfth birthday. I plugged in the headphones and turned it on.

_"Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye my love._

_ I can't hide, can't hide, can't hide what has come…"_

I smiled as I heard Avril Lavigne's voice pour through the headphones. I paused the song and turned the iPod off again.

_I can't believe it still works,_ I thought to myself. I put it back in the front pocket and as I was zipping it up Kaya stepped out of the bathroom. Her hair was wet from her shower and she looked a lot livelier. Today she wore a sleeveless Camp Half-Blood shirt and black skinny jeans. She pulled on her boots and then looked at me with a mischievous smile.

"Do you wanna come?" She asked.

"Come where?" I asked, pushing my suitcase under the bed. Kayla rolled her eyes.

"You know where." I smiled at her. I really did want to come.

"Sure." We left the cabin together and walked back towards the Big House. "So," I asked. "What exactly do you do as a healer?" Kayla shrugged.

"First we learn which herbs are best for certain types of wounds- you know, which ones combat poison, and stuff- and then Chiron teaches us the cool stuff."

"What's the cool stuff?" I asked.

"It's like magic spells." She replied. My eyes widened. "You speak certain incantations in ancient Greek and the wounds will begin to heal." I stared at her in awe.

"And you're the best one? Impressive…" She shrugged, but I saw her blush. When we arrived at the Big House we went straight into Nico's room, but I could hear the sound of hooves pacing in Chiron's office. When we walked into the room Nico's eyes were closed, but they opened when he heard footsteps. When he saw me his eyes lit up for a split second, a smile almost on his lips, but then he noticed Kayla next to me and his eyes became guarded. I held in my sigh and walked over to my chair.

"Hey." I said to Nico.

"Hi." He replied, meeting my eyes but not showing any emotion. Kayla pulled up another one and sat across from me. Kayla didn't say anything to Nico and began her work. Nico didn't say anything to Kayla and avoided her eyes. I wanted to tell him to stop pouting, but I was pretty sure he wouldn't appreciate it. I watched curiously as Kayla applied gooey, white mush onto Nico's cuts. He winced, but after a few seconds I heard a tiny sigh escape his lips. I smirked and Nico glared at me. I rolled my eyes, but gave him a small smile. I was surprised to see the corners of his mouth turn up slightly. Kayla looked up from the arm she was bandaging and looked from me to Nico. Nico regained his emotionless expression, but not before she saw his smile. Kayla looked back at me and gave me a sly smile. I blushed and looked at the floor.

"So," Kayla said to Nico, a mischievous glint still in her eyes. "I hear you escorted Juliet to camp."

"Yeah." Was all Nico said in reply, but Kayla was not deterred.

"So," Kayla prompted. "How was it?" I thought back to the first day I met Nico. I internally cringed as remembered how difficult and childish I had been. Nico glanced at me and when I saw the sparkle in his eye I knew he was thinking the same thing.

"Peachy." I could almost taste the sarcasm dripping from his voice. Kayla looked up at me and silently asked '_What's that supposed to mean?'_ I looked back at her and tried to silently tell her _'I'll tell you later'_. She smirked again and finished wrapping his second arm. Then she leaned down and pulled something out of her boot. It was a small knife. I was about to ask her what she was going to do with it when she started to carefully cut the bandages that were wrapped around Nico's chest. When she peeled the strips of cloth away I gasped. It took all my strength not to look away from the grotesque gashes that adorned Nico's chest. They were deep, but they were already slightly healed over. Kayla took a deep breath and turned at me.

"These wounds are too big to heal with herbs so I'm gonna use biokinesis." She told me. I remembered that biokinesis was power to heal. "Watch closely." I leaned in and listened as held a hand over Nico's body. I watched in wonder as she started chanting.

"επουλώσει όλες τις πληγές, να επιδιορθώσει όλα τα διαλείμματα." I never took any Greek language classes, so I was surprised when I understood every word she was saying. "_Heal all wounds, mend all breaks_." Both Nico and I stared in astonishment as his wounds began to close. Kayla repeated the phrase over and over until each gouge was nothing but a large scar. I looked back up at Kayla and saw that her eyes were glowing gold. She stopped chanting and slumped back in her chair. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a deep breath. "The wounds are closed, but they can still reopen easily, so you're going to have to lay low for a couple of days." Nico nodded.

"What about his face?" I asked Kayla. "Don't you have something to help his eye?" Kayla began to shake her head, but then stopped. She smiled at me weakly.

"Unless you want to try biokinesis." She said.

"No, no, no, no, no." I refused, shaking my head and waving my hands. "I have no idea how to do it! I'll just go get Chiron and-"

"It's only a small wound." Kayla interrupted. "You can do it! Just focus on the words and pull the sun light towards you.

_Pull the sunlight towards me? What does that even mean?_ I thought frantically. I looked down at Nico, but I couldn't read his emotions.

"Okay, let's do this." I mumbled to myself. I began chanting. "επουλώσει όλες τις πληγές, να επιδιορθώσει όλα τα διαλείμματα." I felt something warm rush through my veins and I spoke louder. I imagined myself pulling sun towards me and using it to make my words more powerful. My vision was going blurry and cloudy, but I could still make out Nico's bruised face. I was shocked to see that it was actually healing. I was doing it! When he was almost completely healed, my strength began to ebb and my incantations faded. I felt just as tired as Kayla looked even though I had only healed a few bruises. Nico's eye was a lot less swollen, but there was still a large bruise on his eye.

"Nice!" Kayla exclaimed. "Most people can't do it on their first try. That was great!"

"Thanks." I felt extremely tired, yet full of energy at the same time.

"Well, I'm going back to bed." Kayla declared. She stood up and walked toward the door. "You should probably let Nico sleep. And you might want to get a few winks yourself." She gave me one last smile and closed the door behind her. Almost immediately, Nico's eyes lightened up and he was in a better mood.

"You didn't ruin my gorgeous face, did you?" He joked.

"It's not like it could get much worse." I shot back at him. He smiled and so did I. I leaned back in the chair and we sat in silence for a little while. Then I asked him something that I had been wondering since the day we met. "How come you are so different around other people?" He avoided my eyes and looked at the ceiling.

"Maybe I'm just different around you." He replied.

"But why?" I persisted. "Why don't you show other people this side of you?" I knew I struck a chord because Nico suddenly snapped.

"Because the last time I did everyone I loved hurt me!" He was breathing heavily and I could tell he was trying to hold it together. Then he sighed and closed his eyes. "Sorry, it's just… I don't know, but for some reason I trust you. And I haven't been able to trust someone in a long time." I wanted to ask Nico more about his past. Why did he have trust issues? Why did he start trusting again? Why me? But I also wanted to keep his friendship so I decided not to push him.

"I, uh, have to go." I said quietly. "I'll see you later." Nico didn't open his eyes when I stood up from my chair or when I closed the door. As I walked back to the cabin I replayed Nico's words in my mind._ For some reason I trust you. And I haven't been able to trust someone in a long time_. At least Nico and I had one thing in common. I always had trouble trusting people. I had plenty of friends, but never a best friend. Plenty of guys asked me out, but I never said yes because I didn't trust anyone with my heart. I didn't want to end up getting hurt. Now I realized that Nico was the same way. He pushed everyone away so that no one could hurt him. Except for me. Determination suddenly flared in my chest. I was going to trust Nico, and he was going to trust me. I was going to know him, learn what makes him tick. I was going to let him lean on me and I was determined not to let him down.

* * *

_Here's another early(ish) chapter! Don't forget to review and tell me how you liked it! Okay, so how do you guys like the chemistry between Nico and Juliet? Does it seem natural? Rushed? Let me know! The song is Goodbye by Avril Lavigne. _


	9. I Get a Quest

When Nico first told me that I had to leave my home and spend the entire summer at some freak camp I was certain that every day was going to be endless torture. After all, I was the "new kid". I had no friends, no knowledge of mythology, and no sword fighting skills. I would be counting down the days until the last day of summer.

That's not what happened at all.

My first two weeks at Camp Half-Blood flew by faster than I could have imagined. I was closer to my cabin mates than I was to any of my old "friends". I had more fun talking to Nico than I did shopping with my girlfriends. Heck, I enjoyed studying mythology with Oliver more than flirting with the guys at my school! It's like Camp Half-Blood was a fresh start; a splash of ice water in my face. I'd never felt more alive in all of my fifteen-and-a-half years. I had finally been given the chance to become a new me. A better me.

Wow, that was extremely corny. But, hey, it's the truth!

By the end of my first week at camp I had developed a rough schedule. I would wake up at seven o'clock and my cabin and I would go to the dining pavilion for breakfast at eight. After that we all split up to go to our morning lessons. My first class of the day was mythology. Turns out, I was the only camper taking the class (probably because the other campers knew all the mythology, considering they had been coming here since they were twelve). Since it was only little old me, Chiron asked a camper to teach me instead of teaching me himself. At first I was a little disappointed, but I couldn't blame him. I mean, the guy practically runs the entire camp. He's bound to have a tight schedule.

I guess no one liked the mythology lessons because everyone was hesitant to volunteer to tutor me. Everyone except Oliver, that is. He practically shot out of socks when Chiron announced it at dinner. But that's not a big surprise because he is one of the smartest people to at camp (next to Annabeth, whoever that is). After an hour of reading myths with Oliver I went to "Apollo Lessons". In other words, it's a class where I learn all the cool powers that come with being the child of Apollo.

It's my longest class of the day (about three hours long, but it varies) and I spend it with the rest of my cabin. Since Chiron knows everything there is to know about bow and arrows and healing, he is our teacher. Kayla is the best at healing, obviously, so she spent the first couple of days introducing me to the various herbs and remedies. While I was catching up Will and Austin sparred with each other and I was amazed by their swordsmanship. They were almost as good as Nico. Victoria was a pro atphotokinesis, otherwise known as shooting sun beams. It's amazing to watch her harness the power of the sun and shoot fiery rays of sunlight at stuffed dummies. She looks so concentrated and powerful. However, Kayla told me that it was very advanced and that I should probably stick to healing for now.

After the first week I had dozens of herbs and remedies memorized and Kayla started teaching me the basics on using incantations to heal. I hadn't tried it since the day I healed Nico's face, so I was really excited. Kayla had brought in a bunny with a cut on its black leg for me to practice on. I murmured the same incantation I had used with Nico and saw the wound miraculously close. Kayla was impressed at my natural healing powers and she moved me along quickly so that by the end of my second week at camp I was a pro at healing small cuts and bruises and I was moving on to broken bones and deeper wounds.

After my Apollo Lessons I had lunch. I desperately wished that I could go and sit next to Nico. He looked so lonely sitting all by himself. It didn't help that the campers who passed by his table glanced warily at him and then quickly walked by. Well, other than the Aphrodite girl. They would flaunt by his table as much as possible, hoping he would notice their brand new stilettos and disgustingly short skirts. But he never did. He would just ignore them and they would go pout at their tables and reapply their goopy lipstick. I wished that people would actually try to get to know the real Nico. If they would only take the time to get to know him they would see how kind and comical he really was.

The hour and a half after lunch was one of my favorite parts of the day; free time.

Whether it was a stroke of good luck, or Chiron pulled some strings, both Nico and I shared the same free period. When Nico was still recuperating in the Big House, I would sit next to his bed and we would just talk. Sometimes we talked about our favorite foods (mine was bacon and Nico's was red popsicles), other times we talked about out taste in clothing.

"No. No, we both know that I am obviously more fashionable than you." Nico scoffed as I playfully criticized his midnight black attire.

"Pshh. Please," I said, rolling my eyes. "You can't even pull off the converse look." Nico gasped and pretended that I offended him.

"How _dare_ you." His expression of fake shock was too hilarious and I burst out laughing.

Most days it was just casual, playful conversation. I learned that Nico hated white chocolate, always matched his socks, drank strawberry milk with every meal, and preferred the forest over the ocean. I told Nico about my fear of the dark, my obsession with mystery novels, and that I loved the smell of pine trees.

The one thing we never talked about was our families. I tried to bring it up a couple of times, but Nico always changed the subject or the conversation ended in uncomfortable silence. Another topic that Nico steered clear of was the previous campers. Will had given me a brief explanation of who Percy Jackson was and how he was the savior of the camp, but every time I brought him up in my conversations with Nico, he would shut me out. After the first week I gave up pressing Nico for details about these touchy subjects. I decided that if he trusted me enough he would tell me in his own time.

After free period I joined Nico again for sword fighting. Or, in my case, mace fighting (if that's even a real thing). The head counselor of the Hephaestus cabin had given me my mace back and it looked _sweet_. If had looked nice when I first found it, now it looked amazing!

The golden, bronze hue of the weapon was polished so well that I could see my reflection in it. I carefully felt one of the spikes, but quickly pulled away when it nicked me. It was even sharper than before. Over the course of the next two weeks Nico and I practiced fighting for two hours every day and I was finally able to parry his moves. It was a little tricky for Nico to change his fighting style in order to teach me how to use my mace properly, but I was finally able to complete the basic moves and fight the more advanced campers.

After sword fighting lessons I had battle planning with the Athena cabin. I wasn't very good at making up plans. They were never creative, unlike the Athena campers, and they usually ended in my "army" getting creamed. Every day before dinner all the campers had to do a quick cabin and camp clean up. My cabin was usually one of the first to the dining hall because we always kept our cabin neat, but the Hermes cabin always arrived last and was assigned cleanup duty after dinner.

So, that's what a typical day looks like for me. But for some reason (probably because the Fates hated me) as soon as I fell into this comfortable routine, my world was thrown off balance.

It all started Friday morning, two weeks after I arrived at Camp Half-Blood.

My nightmares had become a nightly thing and they were so vivid and realistic that it took a few minutes for me to realize that it was only a dream. By now I had noticed a pattern in my dreams; they always took place at a carnival. The weird thing was that I was the only person there. Just me and pitch black.

However, after two weeks of falling off carnival rides I started to hear a voice. It was much more real, much more terrifying, than any dream I had ever had. I figured I was going insane. I couldn't tell which direction the voice came from. It seemed to seep out of the blackness itself. At first I couldn't make out what it was saying, but it was low and sinister and it sent chills down my spine.

Even though I was new to Camp Half-Blood I knew these recurring nightmares were not normal. I knew I should tell Chiron, but I was so afraid of losing my new friends and organized routine. However, every night the voice became clearer and clearer, until I could distinguish a few words. _You. Betray. Day. Devoured. Darkness_.

I knew I had to tell someone, but Chiron was busy with his own problems. He was still stressing out about the Strix and no matter how many skilled campers he sent into the woods, none of them could find it. So I decided to talk to Nico.

I was pretty sure he was going to laugh at me and tell me to stop eating salsa before bed, but I was getting pretty freaked out.

"So," I said casually to Nico as he walked me to my mythology class. "How did you sleep?" Nico shrugged.

"Okay, I guess. What about you?"

"Well, now that you mention it…" And I told Nico everything. By the end of my explanation I was shaking. Nico was staring wide eyed at me and he didn't say anything for a few seconds. I was a little scared by Nico's reaction because it meant my dreams were a big deal.

I think he noticed that I was starting to freak out because he faked a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure it's nothing." He lied. "But sometimes campers have dreams that turn out to be… uh, prophecies, but –" I interrupted him.

"Prophecies?" I yelled suddenly. "You mean this is all going to come true?" Nico winced at my sudden outburst and held his hands out.

"Not necessarily." He reassured me. "But you might want to tell Chiron, just in case." Now I was going into a full scale panic. If Nico wanted me to tell Chiron about my dreams that meant they were serious.

_Why me?_ I thought to myself as Nico and I walked towards the Big House. As we walked up the wooden steps I remembered that I was supposed to be at mythology class with Oliver. I hoped he wouldn't be mad at me for skipping.

Before I knew it we were standing in Chiron's office. He was sitting in his wheelchair and speaking with an angry river nymph, but when he saw the grim look on Nico's face and the scared look on mine he quickly wrapped up his conversation.

"Yes, I understand completely." He said to the seething nymph. "I shall have the satyrs clean the garbage up right away." The nymph still looked like she wanted to murder someone, but she managed to refrain. When she stormed past us to get to the door she glared daggers at me, as if I was the exact camper who trashed her river.

"What can I do for you two?" Chiron greeted warmly. Even though he was smiling I saw a flash of worry in his eyes. I felt bad for ruining Chiron's day with this news, but if it was a real prophecy there would be a lot more to worry about than Chiron's mood.

I told Chiron about the deserted carnival, the shadowy cloud, and finally the haunting voice. With each aspect of my dreams Chiron turned whiter and whiter. I was worried that he was going to pass out. Then he leapt out of his chair so quickly that I jumped and bumped into Nico. He started feverishly shuffling through the files on his desk, but I had no idea what he was looking for.

"Aha!" He exclaimed as he held up three folders. I glanced at Nico, but he only shrugged. Chiron cleared a small spot on his desk and spread out the contents of the three files. He beckoned for us to come closer. "I had a hunch that these were connected, somehow, and Juliet's dream has given me more evidence." Chiron pointed to one piece of paper that was titled 'Strix'. "You see, I knew a camper had summoned it, but I didn't know who the camper was working for. All I knew was that the owl is a creature of the night." I had no idea where Chiron was going with this. Apparently neither did Nico.

"So?" Nico asked. "How does that help us?" Chiron smiled at his impatience.

"Actually, it is crucial." He responded. "You see, that means that the god or goddess behind this terrible feat is associated with darkness. I narrowed it down to two options; Erebos, god of darkness, and his wife Nyx, goddess of night." As he mentioned the gods, Chiron pointed to the other two folders. "And now that Juliet has told me that the voice in her dream was a male, I have eliminated Nyx." Chiron pushed Nyx's folder away from the other two.

"So you think Erebos is the one behind this?" Nico questioned. Chiron nodded. I was still shocked that my dream had turned out to be a real prophecy, so I wasn't paying much attention to Chiron's genius.

"Where is he?" Nico said darkly, placing a hand on his sword. "I've got a few choice words for him."

"Actually," Chiron replied. "I don't know where he is. That's why I want to arrange a quest." Chiron and Nico locked eyes for a moment and Chiron nodded grimly. Then he turned to me.

"Juliet," he said softly, snapping me out of my daze. "I know you are still very new to this camp, but when campers have recurring dreams like this, it is something that should be taken very seriously." He paused to see how well I was handling all this information. I'm sure that on the outside I looked wide eyed and frightened, but on the inside I was having a full scale melt down. Just imagine the Fire of London occurring inside of my brain and you'll have a pretty good idea of how I felt.

"We also have a tradition," Chiron continued. "That the camper who is given the prophecy must uptake a quest to it." I could tell that Nico and Chiron were holding their breath, waiting for me to explode. They were surprised when I responded in a calm and quiet voice.

"So I have to go on a quest to save the world from Erebos." Their shoulders sagged in relief when they realized how well I was handling it. Their moment of peace did not last long because suddenly the fire in my head poured out of my mouth. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO GO ON A QUEST? YOU DO REALIZE THAT I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE FOR TWO WEEKS, RIGHT?!" Nico had covered his ears and taken a step backwards and Chiron's eyes were tightly closed. When I spoke next it was quieter, but still flaming. "I can't just go off on my own and save the world! I don't care how old your traditions are. Send someone more capable!"

_Why couldn't Nico have had the dream? He's been here for seven years!_ I thought angrily to myself. Chiron opened his eyes and gave me a sad look.

"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, Juliet. But you don't have to go alone. You can pick two other campers to accompany you."

_Well that's reassuring._ I thought sarcastically_. Three teenagers against a god. Sounds fair_.

"How will we even know where to go?" I asked out loud, my blazing fury subsiding.

"I was hoping you would ask." Chiron said with a small smile. He led me and Nico towards his filing cabinet. Nico was no longer covering his ears, but he stood a little bit further away from me. When I caught his eye I glared at him. I turned back to Chiron and saw that he had started searching through the 'H' section of the filing cabinet. I was about to ask him what he was searching for, when he pulled out another folder.

"Hemera!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

"Hemera?" I asked. "As in, the goddess of day?" Chiron looked impressed.

"I see your mythology lessons are paying off." he with a smile. I was still a tiny bit mad at him, so I didn't smile back. "Anyways, you are correct; Hemera is the goddess of day. She is the daughter of Nyx and Erebos and I believe she is the only one who can stop Erebos' darkness from spreading."

"How, exactly?" Nico spoke up. Chiron suddenly looked unsure.

"I'm not exactly sure," He began. I was about to open my mouth, but Chiron quickly continued. "Since she is the one who keeps the darkness at bay every day, I'm sure she could help you or give you a weapon of some kind." He opened his folder and pulled out a map of Florida. "And that's where she is." Chiron pointed to a city in southern Florida called Sunrise.

_That's not at all obvious_, I thought to myself. I looked up at Chiron.

"So what you're saying is that me and two other campers have to go to Florida, find a goddess who will give us a magical weapon, track down Erebos, and then stop him from destroying daytime." It sounded a lot simpler when I summed it up, but I still had hundreds of questions. What if Hemera doesn't help us? How do we find Erebos? What if we can't defeat him?

"When you put it simply, yes." Chiron answered. "We have no idea how when Erebos is going to enact his plan, so you should act as quickly as possible. You should gather your team and get prepared. I'll have a van ready to take you to the train station tomorrow morning." Then Chiron turned and started putting files away, signaling the end of the conversation.

I turned and walked quickly out of the room. I marched past the dining hall where Oliver was waiting to teach me more mythology. I stormed past the twelve cabins. I stomped past the empty sparring pit. I didn't stop walking until I arrived at a small hill overlooking the lake. When I sat down I realized that it was the same spot Nico and I sat when he was giving me a tour. It seemed like years ago, but it was only two weeks.

I thought about the quest. I thought about who I would choose to come with me. I couldn't just force someone to head to their probable death. I knew who I wanted to come with me, but I was afraid he would get hurt.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and emptied all the thoughts from my head. I stared at the silver and blue waves. I let the peaceful sound of the waves hitting the shore fill my mind and wash away any doubts I had about the quest.

I heard someone's soft footsteps approach, but I didn't look up. The air was suddenly alive with the rich fragrance of pine trees and I knew who it was.

"You're a fast walker." Nico joked as he sat down next to me. I stayed quiet. I think Nico understood why I was out here because he stayed silent with me. We let the warm sun soothe our skin and the gentle waves soothe our minds. There was a single question tugging at my gut and making me nervous. I tried to bury it, but it kept resurfacing.

"What if I can't do it?" I kept my eyes fixed on the lake. "What if I let the world down?"

"That's what they all say." I turned to look at Nico and saw that he was already facing me.

"I'm serious. What if I can't do it?" Nico gave me a half smile.

"Well, then I'll be there to help you." Relief flooded through me. Having Nico around made me feel much more secure. I was so happy that I almost hugged him. Instead I gave him my brightest smile. When he returned it I felt like my insides were melting.

"Do you remember when you gave me a tour of camp?" I asked him. He nodded. "And you said that I made you want to laugh all the time." Nico's face turned tomato red and he turned back to the lake.

"How could I forget?" He mumbled, but I laughed.

"Well, it's the same for me. You make me happy." Now it was my turn to feel embarrassed.

_Oh my gods, I can't believe I just said that._ Nico was still blushing ferociously, but he turned back and looked me in the eyes. They were so expressive and I knew he was trying to tell me something, but I was so overwhelmed that I had to look away.

My eyes wandered to his lips. They were so perfect. So… kissable.

_Whoa, wait. What? Who said anything about kissing?_ I tried to push the idea out of my head, but my conscious put up a fight. _Just admit that you like him! You know you do!_ I'm not sure why I was stopping myself. Maybe I wasn't ready. Or perhaps I didn't want to lose the best friend I've ever had.

Suddenly I was aware that Nico was still staring at me, probably lost in his own thoughts. I cleared my throat awkwardly and he flinched. Once again, our faces turned red.

"I, uh, should probably go get packed." Nico said, avoiding my eyes.

"Yeah, me too." I said. I stood up and brushed my jeans off, more to have something to do than because they were grassy.

"Well, I'll see you later."

"Yeah." I gave Nico a tiny wave before turning and walking back towards the dining pavilion. I kept replaying what happened in my mind. I also thought about what _could_ have happened. I felt a lot better about the whole quest situation, but the butterflies in my stomach showed no signs of going away.

I took a deep breath as I got closer to the dining hall. I knew that I needed another member to join me on my quest, and I also knew who I was going to ask. There were only a handful of people here who I trusted with my life; Nico, Oliver, Will, Kayla, Austin, and Victoria. I figured it would be useful to have someone who was very experienced, like Will, but I had a feeling in my gut that told me who to choose.

"Hey, Oliver!" I greeted him as I sat down at the table. He looked confused and I could tell he was wondering why I was so late. Before he could ask any questions, however, I gave him a mischievous look and said, "Ever been on a quest?"

* * *

_I had some really bad writers block when I was writing this, so I feel like it was kind of rushed and not as well written as my other chapters. Let me know what you think. Thanks for all the reviews you guys have given me. I really appreciate them!_


	10. Quests, Powers, and Boys

I was so relieved that both Nico and Oliver agreed to join me on my quest that I felt dizzy. For some reason I was afraid that they would hate me if I asked. Oliver was so excited about going on the quest that we skipped Mythology class and started packing instead. I was surprised that he wanted to come so badly, considering he didn't even know what our quest was.

When Oliver and I each went to our cabins to pack, I realized that I would need a smaller suitcase. I sat on my bed pondering my problem when, as if on cue, Nico came in holding a light blue backpack.

"I thought you might need this." He said as he tossed it onto my bed next to me. He seemed to have gotten over the awkwardness of our last conversation. When I looked up at him he didn't avoid my eye or make an excuse to leave. I smiled.

"Thanks." It was a small bag, but hopefully I would be able to cram a lot of things in it. Nico sat down across from me on Victoria's bed and put his hands in the pockets of his aviator jacket.

"Shouldn't you be packing?" I said, even though I wanted him to stay.

He shrugged. "I can do it later."

"So you're just going to sit here and watch me while I stuff my underwear into a bag?" I raised my eyebrows at him and he turned a bright shade of red. He tried to say something, but nothing came out. He looked like a fish that washed up on the beach. After a minute of watching Nico flounder, I burst out laughing. Relief flooded his face when he realized that I was just messing with him.

"You're a jerk." He said, but I could hear the smile behind his words. He fell backwards onto the bed so that he was staring up at the bottom of the top bunk.

"You take things too seriously." I shot back. I finished folding a t-shirt and placed it into the bottom of the bag. I reached down to grab another one when I realized I wasn't even sure what to pack, other that the obvious necessities, of course. I placed the second shirt in my bag. "So, what am I even supposed to bring on this quest?"

"Whatever you think you'll need." He replied simply. I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me.

"Anything specific?" I prompted.

"Clothes, weapons, money, drachmas, ambrosia –" but I interrupted him.

"Ambrosia?" I asked, pausing mid-fold. Oliver had told me about drachmas, but I had never heard of ambrosia.

"The food of the gods." Nico said wistfully. "It heals your wounds, but it tastes different to every demigod. Chiron will give some to you tomorrow morning." For a second I stopped to wonder what ambrosia would taste like to me. When I resumed packing I realized that my bag was already hallway full and I didn't even have two outfits in it.

"Uh, how long is it going to take to save the world?" I asked Nico, concerned about my less than adequate amount of clothing. He sat up again and pulled his legs up so that he was sitting crisscross.

"It depends," he replied. "It could take a week, it could take two."

"Two weeks?" I repeated, looking sadly down at my miniscule bag. "I've barely got enough for two days." Nico shrugged.

"When you're running from a monster who wants to eat you, clothes suddenly seem a lot less important." I glanced up at him and his face was dead serious and I had to suppress my laugh. We sat in comfortable silence for the next ten minute while I filled the small backpack. I decided to take my old iPod with me, even though I had no idea when I would need it. It felt comforting to have an item from my old life.

I was zipping up my backpack when Oliver walked in, carrying his own black bag. He glanced at Nico and for a second I thought I saw contempt flash in his soft green eyes, but it was gone before I even had time to register it. Nico's face immediately hardened and his eyes went cold. I held back my exasperated sigh and stood up.

"All ready?" I asked Oliver. He nodded and held up his little bag in reply. Nico cleared his throat.

"I'm going to go pack." He said curtly and left the cabin.

_What ever happened to 'I'll do it later'?_ I thought, rolling my eyes. I fought the urge to march after him and grab him by his neck and –

"Juliet?" Oliver asked and I was snapped out of my thoughts.

"What?" I asked, totally oblivious to what he had been telling me.

"I was just saying that we should go to our next classes." I nodded. We left the Apollo cabin and went different directions.

"I'll see you later." I called out to him. He grinned and waved. As I walked across camp to find the rest of my cabin, I thought about the quest. Was it a good idea to pick Nico and Oliver? Would they get along? I wondered for the millionth time why Nico was so guarded with everyone else. I mean, I've always had slight trust issues, but Nico wouldn't even let anyone near him. Except me.

I was jerked out of my thoughts when I ran into something soft. Both me and the object tumbled forward.

"Ow, get off, you weirdo!" I heard Austin say as I stood up and brushed myself off. He looked up and saw that it was me and he immediately looked sorry. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know it was you." I smiled to let him know that it was alright. In fact, it was actually my fault. I held out a hand to help him up.

"Have you seen Kayla?" I asked. He shook his head.

"She's doing some special training with Chiron today." My heart sank. I was hoping we could review everything I had learned so that I would be more prepared for the quest tomorrow. "But she told me to tell you that Victoria would teach you today. She's over there." He pointed to an empty field about fifty feet away.

"Okay, thanks." As I walked towards Victoria I heard the dull thud of Will and Austin shooting targets. The noise grew fainter and fainter, until all I could hear were Austin's distant triumphant cheers when he hit the bull's eye.

A new sound began to drift over the field. I heard the distinct crackling of a fire and I smelt charred grass. I picked up my pace and jogged over the last hill. I'm not sure what I had been expecting, but I had to suppress a laugh when I saw a frantic Victoria extinguishing a small fire with a fire extinguisher. She finally managed to put it out, leaving a black circle of dead grass behind.

"What happened?" I asked curiously, walking up to Victoria. She jumped and turned to me. Her forehead was smudged with soot and hair was falling out of her pony tail. Despite her ruffled appearance, she radiated more beauty than Aphrodite herself.

"Oh, I was just shooting light beams." She said casually, but she was still breathing heavily.

"With no targets?" She blushed.

"Well, I had one of the Hecate campers enchant a small area of grass so that it was fire proof. I guess I forgot which area it was…" I felt a laugh bubble up inside of me. I had to clench my fists to not giggle.

"So," I said, changing the topic. "Austin said you were gonna teach me today." Victoria perked up immediately.

"Yeah!" She said enthusiastically. "Since you're already super good at healing, I thought I might show you the basics of photokinesis, you know, shooting light way you'll have at least a little experience before you go on your quest." I started to nod, but then stopped.

"Wait, how do you know about my quest?" Victoria gave me a look that said 'Seriously?'.

"Everyone knows!" She exclaimed. "Not many people have gotten quests recently. Not since, you know, Percy Jackson won the Giant War." There he is again. Percy Jackson. I knew what he accomplished, not who he was. Or why Nico refused to talk about him. Suddenly I got an idea.

"Did you ever meet him?" I asked Victoria casually. She shrugged.

"We talked a couple of times, but other than that no." I pressed her for more details.

"Do you know if he was ever friends with Nico?" Victoria looked at me suspiciously, but I kept my face emotionless. She glanced around and lowered her voice even though there was obviously no one around.

"Well, Nico came to camp before I did, and even after Percy graduated there were still rumors going around." I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Rumors?" Victoria nodded.

"All the older campers say there was a special connection between Nico and Percy. Some of them even say that Percy saved Nico from drowning in the lake." A wave of guilt crashed over me. That would explain Nico's panic attack when I forced him to join the canoe race. "Percy was like the older brother Nico never had. They were inseparable. That is, until Nico's sister died. She went on a quest with Percy, but she didn't make it back. Ever since, Nico blamed Percy for her death. Now, whenever Percy comes back, Nico avoids him or mysteriously disappears until Percy leaves." I feel like I'd been betrayed. Why wouldn't Nico tell me about this? Did he not trust me? Victoria's eyes softened in concern. "You really like him, don't you?" she said quietly. My eyes widened and I felt my cheeks warm.

"Wha- I, no… It's not… I mean –" I stuttered, but Victoria only laughed and rolled her eyes.

"It's pretty obvious." My shoulders sagged.

"Really?"

"Uh, yeah! You spend practically every minute of the day with him." Victoria leaned closer to me and in a whisper she said, "But don't worry, because he likes you too." I turned an even brighter shade of red, if that's possible.

"No he doesn't." I said nonchalantly, but Victoria didn't let the conversation drop.

"I see the way he looks at you." She said, putting her hands on her hips. "Whenever you aren't looking, he will just gaze at you and his eyes melt."

"How do you even know what that looks like?" I said, trying to act like I don't care. But I do. I desperately want to know if Nico has feelings for me.

"Because it's the way that Percy looks at Annabeth. I know you've never met them, but they are the definition of 'true love'." I raised my eyebrows skeptically. "I'm serious! And it's the same for you and Nico. When he looks at you, it's like he's getting lost in your words. All the stress and sadness fades away and he's floating on Cloud 9. Millions of girls would give anything to be looked at the way Nico looks at you." I felt like my blush was permanently painted onto my face. "But seriously, just kiss already!" My face was so red and hot that I was expecting it to burst into flames. Even so, a warm feeling spread through my stomach at the thought of Nico's lips pressed against mine. I quickly dismissed the idea from my head.

"Uh, ha ha." I laughed nervously along with Victoria. Thankfully, Victoria did not continue the conversation. She began telling me the basics of photokinesis, how you have to be really focused, don't let the power control you, blah, blah, blah. I nodded here and there, but I wasn't paying attention. I was still thinking about Nico and what Victoria had said. _True love_. I was certain that I wasn't in love with Nico. Love was way too huge and complicated. But I'll admit, I really did like him. I'm not sure when it started, but every time I'm around him I feel at ease and I'm not worried about being myself. I started to take note of his little quirks, like how when he smiled the right corner of his mouth rose higher. And whenever he was flustered he would fiddle with his skull ring. And finally, whenever he was around the air became thicker and scented like rich pine trees. But the best part about being with Nico was that we could sit in complete silence and still say so much. Just thinking about Nico made me smile.

"Juliet!" Victoria said, waving a hand in front of my face. "Were you listening to anything I just said?" I shook my head and tried not to grin. She looked at me suspiciously. I could tell that she knew I was still thinking about Nico. She gave me a sly grin, but didn't say anything about it.

"As I was saying…" she continued. She repeated all of the tips for controlling the sun's energy again. When she had finished talking she showed me how the professionals do it. "You might want to step back." She warned. "Oh, and take this, just in case." She handed me the fire extinguisher. I took a few paces backwards and held up the extinguisher, ready to put out and fires.

Victoria was amazing. She looked so peaceful, but so powerful at the same time. She began with her eyes closed, her arms raised towards the sun. I held my breath and waited for something to happen. Suddenly Victoria's eyes flashed open. They looked like two molten orbs of golden light. She grinned mischievously and suddenly a thick beam of light, the same color as her eyes, tore down from the sky. It was about as thick as my fist, but it radiated so much heat that I had to step backwards to stay comfortable. Molten splashed of sunlight swirled around the glowing beam. It was so bright that I had to turn away after a few seconds.

Victoria dropped her arms to her sides and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She looked tired, but pleased.

"So, what did you think?" she asked as she caught her breath. I tried to find the right word to describe it. Beautiful. Powerful. Breathtaking.

"It was amazing!" I exclaimed. She laughed at my excitement.

"Hey!" she suddenly said, pointing at the spot on the grass where the beam of light had hit. "There's no fire!" True enough, there were no flames or smoking grass. Then she turned to me and wiggled her eyebrows. "Your turn."

_Oh no_. She put her hands on my shoulders and rotated me so that I was facing the sun. It warmed my face and I closed my eyes.

"Hold up your arms." Victoria commanded. I felt like an idiot, but I did it anyways. "Now, concentrate on the sun's warmth. Pretend like you're pulling the energy towards you. Once you feel like you have control over it, open your eyes and target the ground ten feet in front of you." I heard her soft footsteps retreat to a safe spot. I took a deep breath and let the warmth of the sun radiate through my body. I imagined the golden rays seeping through my skin and gathering in my chest. I felt the orb in my chest grow until the power was radiating through me.

It's now or never. I took another deep breathe and opened my eyes. Everything was bathed in yellow light. I focused on the grass about ten feet in front of me and released the ball of power I had stored in my body.

Nothing happened.

I tried again, and again, and again. No matter how hard I tried, no beams of lights came out of the sun. I was beginning to feel hopeless. I was ready to give up, but I decided to try just one more time. I gave one last tug at the sun in my gut, and I was amazed when I saw something golden shoot from the sky. It wasn't a thick beam like Victoria's, more like a glowing piece of string. It was about twenty feet from the spot I had been aiming at, but I was as still proud of myself. I relaxed my arms and the thin ray of light vanished. Victoria cheered.

"That was incredible!" She said. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"I didn't even get it on my first fifteen tries!" I felt like a failure, but Victoria was not daunted.

"Are you kidding?" She cried throwing her hands up. "Most people are lucky to get it on their first 15,000 tries. Sure, you're not the best. But, you're definitely not the worst." Her words made me feel a lot better.

"Can I try again?" I asked eagerly. Victoria shook her head.

"You don't want to work yourself too hard."

"But I'm not even tired!" I complained. As soon as I said this, a wave of fatigue hit me and I nearly collapsed. Black spots danced at the edge of my vision. Victoria held me up.

"Not tired, huh?" She smirked. "Let's get you to bed." We stumbled back towards camp and I was surprised at how drained I felt.

When we finally reached our cabin it was time for my next lesson. Victoria told me that she would tell all my teachers that I wouldn't be able to attend class. I rested my head on my pillow and thought about everything that was happening. Erebos was taking over the world and I had to stop him. For some reason, it didn't feel as heavy in my chest as it did earlier. I felt like I had a chance, now that I knew Nico and Oliver would be coming with me.

What did make me nervous and cause my palms to sweat were my growing feelings for Nico. I knew that there were dozens of guys who would kill for a date with "gorgeous" girl like me. But would Nico?

_He's your best friend._ I told myself. _Don't mess that up._ I sighed and rolled onto my side. I pushed Nico out of mind and closed my eyes.

Sleep came almost immediately, but so did the dark prophecies.

* * *

_Okay, from now on I'm going to update either on Saturdays or Sundays. I've been pretty busy lately, but since school is almost over I will hopefully be able to update sooner and have better quality chapters. Right now I have a problem: I want to have some Nico/Oliver bonding moments later, but I have no idea what they will be. What do you guys think I should do? I appreciate any ideas (: Also, thanks for all the reviews so far! It makes me incredibly happy to know that you like what I'm writing!_


	11. The Boy Behind the Shadow

I woke up in a cold sweat. The heavy weight of my nightmare crushed my lungs and made it hard to breathe. When I finally controlled my gasping breathe I looked at my surroundings. I was still in the Apollo cabin and the sun hung lazily and low in the sky. I felt a lot more rested and energetic than I had before my nap.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and pushed my silky blankets back. I slipped out of bed and stumbled towards the clock. Instead of seeing the time, I saw a piece of paper. It was a note written in small, neat handwriting. I picked it up, noticing that the clock read 5:23, and saw that it was from Nico.

_Meet me our spot by the lake. I want to show you something_.

A warm feeling spread through my stomach when I read the words "our spot". I tried to push aside my giddiness, but it was impossible. I checked myself in the mirror to makes sure I had no drool on my face. After running my fingers through my hair I laced up my converse and set out towards the lake.

Outside, campers were busy cleaning the camp and getting ready for dinner. My stomach growled and I remembered that I had skipped lunch. I saw Nico pacing back and forth at our spot by the lake. He looked nervous, although I had no idea why. He didn't see me approach until I was a few feet away.

"Hey." I greeted and I laughed as he jumped in surprise. His eyes flooded in relief, but were quickly clouded with nervousness again.

_What's up with him?_

"Hi." He said back. We stood in silence for a couple seconds and Nico rocked on his heels.

"So, didn't you say you were going to show me something?" I prompted. Nico laughed nervously.

"Oh, yeah. I did say that, didn't I?" I nodded and looked at him in concern. I could see Nico internally arguing with himself, but he finally gave up. "Just follow me." He turned and I smiled at the back of his head. I trudged along beside him and I saw that he was taking me to the forest.

"Uh, is it safe in there?" I asked, my pace faltering. Nico kept walking.

"As long as you're with me, it is." I smirked and caught up with him.

"Says the one who almost got killed in there." I saw Nico smile faintly and it suddenly struck me how handsome his crooked grin was.

"Let's not talk about that." We walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way to the forest. I was constantly aware of how close we were walking, and I couldn't help but blush as our hands occasionally bumped and brushed. I was dying to know why Nico was taking me into the forest, but every time I tried to ask Nico would cut me off or just give me a mischievous, lopsided grin that made my heart flip.

When he began to lead me through the forest I fell behind quickly. I was not used to the thick bushes and tangled roots, but he came here every day.

"Nico!" I yelled after him ad I tried to untangle my hair from a branch. "Wait up!" I heard the bushes ahead of me rustle as he came back for me. When he saw my predicament he burst out laughing, but quickly clapped his hand over his mouth when he saw my humorless expression.

He came closer to me so that he could untangle my hair. I sucked in my breath as his fingers accidentally brushed my cheek while he untangled my hair. Thankfully, he was too focused on his job to notice. When he stepped back I combed my fingers through my hair to get the leaves out. When I looked back at Nico I saw that he was holding his hand out. I knew it wasn't a romantic gesture, although I wished it was. It was so that he could help me over the roots and around the bushes.

I reached out and took his hand. His fingers were freezing and his touch sent a mix of ice and electricity up my arm. I felt my face grown hot and thanked the gods for the shadows that were cast over my face. I felt Nico squeeze my hand. It was so soft and subtle that I might have imagined it. Even so, it made my heart pound.

He began to lead the way through the forest again. It was getting dark. The only sources of light were the broken pieces of golden sun that shone through the leaves. I tried to focus on where I was putting my feet, but my mind was stuck on the fact that Nico was holding my hand.

_Pull yourself together!_ I scolded myself. _He's just another boy_. But that's the thing. He wasn't just another boy. He treated me like I was important, like my ideas were worth listening to. He treated me like I was a somebody. My mind flashed back to the conversation I had with my mom about Apollo. He had treated her like a somebody. She had fallen in love with him and he left her with a baby and a broken heart.

_Nico wouldn't do that._ I assured myself, but then I realize how stupid that sounded. It's not like we were a couple. I was acting like we were already in love. No. We were far from it.

After we walked for half an hour, Nico suddenly stopped and dropped my hand. I suddenly felt cold, which made no sense because Nico's hand was far from warm. He stepped in front of me and I saw nervousness, excitement, and hope in his chocolate eyes.

"Close your eyes." He said. I obeyed. I felt both of his hands grip mine, sending another spark of electricity up my arms, and led me forward. I shuffled my feet slowly and tried not to stumble. Soon I noticed that my feet weren't hitting any roots or holes in the ground. It was all smooth grass. Nico stopped walking. His slender fingers were still gripping mine, and I was glad he didn't let go.

"Okay," Nico said. I could hear the excitement dripping from his voice. "Open them." When I did, the first thing I saw was a weeping willow tree. It looked so melancholy, but so peaceful. Its leaves were a soft greenish golden and were lying completely still. The trunk was twisted, but the bark looked smooth. The next thing I noticed was that we were in a clearing. There was soft, lush grass beneath our feet and a clear, golden sky above out heads. Everything was bathed in an orange, yellow glow. It was so beautiful, so breathtaking, that I had to tear my eyes away.

I looked back Nico. I was going to tell him how stunning this place was, but when I saw his face and my words died in my throat. His face was tilted up towards the sky, his eyes closed. The thick sunlight bathed his face in a fiery glow and made him look years younger. His normally raven black hair was set aflame in all shades of deep red and brown. He looked at peace.

I'm not sure how long I stared at him, but he eventually turned back towards me. I expected his eyes to be warm and full of tranquility. But they weren't. They were shattered and dark, like sharp the sharp edges of broken glass. His serene features were etched with deep sorrow. I didn't know what caused his sudden change in attitude, but I was determined to find out.

We were still holding hands and I squeezed his reassuringly.

"Nico?" I asked quietly. His eyes were glued to mine. He looked so tired, so lonely. His sadness was a disease and I was soon infected. I felt like my heart was being torn out.

"He betrayed me." Nico said, so quietly that I almost missed it. His voice was shattered and wrecked, like his eyes. "He said he would protect her." I knew he was talking about Percy. His voice was so choked with emotion that I found it hard to speak as well.

"Tell me." I whispered. I took a tiny step closer to him; we were so close that I could feel his warm breathe. Nico shook his head and dropped his gaze to the grass. I wasn't going to let this go. "Trust me." Nico immediately looked back up, his eyes aching with loneliness. He nodded once. He had held himself together for too long and now he was falling apart. I wanted to be the one that picked up the pieces.

"Percy was the closest thing I had to a friend. A father. A hero." Nico looked down at his hands. At our hands. "He cared for me when no one else would. He was the only one who wanted to be seen with the son of Hades. He was the only one who remembered that I had feelings too." Nico's voice cracked and he stopped. I was so afraid that he was going to cry. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to help him. Nico took a shaky breathe and plunged into his story.

_*__**FLASHBACK**__*_

_Nine year-old Nico jumped into the lake. He loved the icy feeling of the water and the way it wrapped him in a liquid hug. Sometimes he wondered what hugging Percy would be like. He didn't think it would be cold. It would be warm and strong. _

_Nico kicked paddled with his legs and arms until he reached the surface. He took a deep breathe of the summer air and began to swim towards the center of the lake. With every stroke of his arms he felt stronger._

I'm going to be as strong as Percy_! Nico told himself happily. _And then we can swim together. Maybe I'll be good enough to be a son of Poseidon with him!_ Nico almost smiled, but stopped when he realized his head he would only get a mouthful of water._

_Nico swam for hours and hours, only stopping to float when his legs and arms felt like lead. He was so close to halfway through the lake. Percy would be so proud of him if he made it. Nico paddled as hard as he could. He didn't stop even when his lungs burned. He thought about Percy's grin, about how happy he would be to see Nico following in his footsteps. Percy would laugh and ruffle Nico's hair._

_Finally Nico came up for air. He took huge breathes until he was breathing normally again. When he looked back at the shore he grinned. _

_He had made it halfway. He was so happy that he shouted in celebration. _

_Nico didn't see the "WARNING: MONSTER" sign just four eight feet away from him. He didn't see Percy on the shore, waving his arms and yelling for him to turn back. He didn't see the underwater creature awaken below him._

_Until it was too late. _

_The monster gripped Nico's ankle with its slimy tentacle and yanked him beneath the waves so quickly he didn't even have time to scream. Nico fought and fought, but his arms were too numb from swimming and his lungs were empty. He finally closed his eyes and felt darkness begin to take him. His last thought was that Percy would never know that he made it halfway to the lake. _

_But then he felt the tentacle loosen. Nico's eyes flashed open and he saw his hero, Percy Jackson, saving the day. Percy fought the monster back into the depths of the lake. Nico was too stunned to swim to the surface, but when Percy gripped his hand he was shocked back into reality. _

_Percy blasted them out of the water and held Nico afloat. As he gasped for breathe and choked on water, Percy supported him. When Nico was able to breathe easily he looked up into his savior's eyes. The ocean green eyes were crinkled with worry, but they were also soft with affection. Nico stared up at Percy with wide brown eyes, full of admiration and awe. A warm feeling burst open in Nico's chest as he gazed up at Percy because he knew he would be there to help him, to protect him. Even if Bianca had chosen the hunters of Artemis over him, Nico would always have Percy._

_Percy was always there to save the day. And he always would be._

"But he wasn't." Nico spat, his thick voice suddenly bitter. The heavy sadness in his eyes flashed hot with anger. "She was the only family I had and he couldn't save her." His anger left as quickly as it came. This time the grief was so strong that he stumbled forward. I caught him and steadied him, but his eyes were so full of sorrow that I thought they would overflow.

And they did.

Uncontrollable tears poured out of Nico's eyes. His face was contorted in pain, a deep, pulsing pain in his heart that would never heal.

"He couldn't save her." He repeated, this time in a choked whisper. "I believed in him. I trusted him. He was my hero! All I wanted was Bianca back. She left me, and I just wanted her back..." A fresh wave of tears hit Nico and he turned away from me, burying his face in his hands.

I was so touched by his story that a few tears leaked out of my eyes as well. I gently touched Nico on the back. I brushed them away. Right now I had to be strong for Nico.

"Nico," I said quietly, talking past the lump in my throat. "I get that you were lied to, that you were abandoned. I know now that the only people you trusted lied to you." I walked in front of him and gently lifted his chin so he was looking at me. I looked deeply into his swollen, red eyes. "But I'm not going to leave you. Not ever." His eyes widened, just a bit, but he still looked so sad. I knew he didn't believe me. After all, that's what everyone else had told him before leaving him in the dust.

I had to prove it, somehow. I was so close to him, my hand already on his face. I could kiss him. And I wanted to; more badly than I've ever wanted anything in my life. All I had to do was lean forward…

But I didn't. I knew Nico needed a friend more than he needed a lover. Instead I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. For a split second he was frozen in shock, but then he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back. He had to bend over a tiny bit for his head to rest on my shoulder, but if felt comfortable. It felt right. I could feel his gentle sobs vibrate through my body and I could feel his tears soak my shoulder. I buried my face into his neck and tried not to cry. I had to be strong. For him. His skin was warm, unlike his fingertips, and it smelled like the forest right after it rained. Clean, strong, and refreshing. I couldn't get enough of it.

Eventually Nico's shoulders stopped shaking, but he didn't loosen his embrace. I felt the warmth of the setting sun disappear, but I couldn't be sure how dark it was because my eyes were closed and my face was nestled in Nico's neck.

After what felt like an hour, Nico lifted his head from my shoulder and put his lips next to me ear.

"Don't leave me." His voice sounded so insecure and broken and I knew he was far from fixed.

"Never." I whispered into his skin. I would stay here all night if that's what he wanted. He pulled away but gripped my hand immediately, like he was afraid I would suddenly vanish if he didn't have a tight grip on me. His eyes were still very red, but they weren't as shattered and dark as before. They were soft around the edges. He led me over to the Willow tree and we sat down, leaning against the trunk.

I sighed and leaned my head onto his shoulder. I wasn't sure why I was being so bold, but it felt right. Almost natural. I thought about his words_. Don't leave me_. Suddenly the full meaning of the words hit me. He didn't mean "Stay with me here, right now" he meant "Don't leave. Ever". My stomach filled with warmth as I realized that he trusted me. Out of everyone he met, he chose me.

The stars glinted like tiger eyes through the willow's branches. I was surprised by how much time had passed.

_Hopefully my cabin isn't wondering where I am_, I thought suddenly. I thought about their reactions as they realized that I was out after curfew with Nico. I mentally scolded myself for leaving the note sitting on the desk. I'm sure Will was going to give me a talking to when I got back.

But right now I was with Nico. I thought about everything that happened, the way he held my hand, the way my head rested perfectly on his shoulder. I'm not sure what Nico and I were. Were we friends? Or more? But at that very moment I didn't care, because I had Nico. Whether or not he thought of me as more than a friend didn't matter. We sat in comfortable silence for a long time. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay with Nico.

Somewhere between star gazing and memorizing every detail about Nico, I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up the moon was still high in the sky and I was freezing cold, despite the weight of a jacket on top of me. I realized that it was Nico's aviator jacket.

_What is this doing here?_ I wondered, looking down at the dark coat. I rubbed reached up to rub my eyes, but my hand was caught on something. I looked down and saw my hand tangled with someone else's. Their pale hand was attached to a slim arm which was attached to a sleeping boy. Nico.

I suddenly remembered everything that had happened.

_Oh my gods, it wasn't a dream_. I thought as I freaked out. We had actually hugged and held hands. I had _actually_ fallen asleep with him. My face suddenly burned red as I remembered that we were still holding hands. I looked back at the sleeping Nico and my heart did a backflip. He looked so young, so peaceful. I heard him snore gently and noted how cute it was. His hair was as tousled as ever, but I found it endearing and attractive.

_What_ _now_? I asked myself. Were Nico and I just friends? Did anything that happened last night mean anything? I mean, of course I trusted him more and now I knew why he pushed everyone away. But were we… a couple? Did he even like me that way? Questions filled my head, but I had no answers. I was scared to know the truth.

I told myself that it didn't matter if he didn't like me. He was still the best friend I ever had and I was not going to mess that up. But I still had the urge to kiss him. To tell him how I really felt.

I closed my eyes tightly and pushed those thoughts out of my head. It was kind of hard, considering Nico was currently holding my hand. I sighed and pulled his coat up to my chin. It was so cold! I thought about waking him up, but he looked so calm. There were no dark circles under his eyes. I wondered how long it had been since he slept peacefully.

Goosebumps prickled my skin as a fresh wave of icy air wiggled its way beneath Nico's jacket.

_That's it._ I thought and turned to Nico. I poked his shoulder.

"Nico." I whispered loudly. Nothing happened. "Nico." I said again, louder. Still nothing. This time I pushed him with so much force that he fell over. He woke up as he hit the ground.

"Ouch!" He groaned, sitting back up. "What was –" but then he saw me. He saw our hands. I knew that he was blushing. He dropped my hand and folded his own in his lap. My heart sank.

_Back to square one. _

"We should probably go." Nico said, breaking the awkward tension. I nodded and stood up. Nico's jacket slid off my arms and I shivered. I picked it up and handed it back to him. He shook his head. "No you can keep it for now. The cold doesn't bother me very much." I pulled my arms through his jacket and warmth that had nothing to do with the thickness of the coat spread through my body.

We trudged through the forest, back the way we had come. Only this time, Nico didn't offer his hand for me to hold. He walked quickly so that he was always a few feet ahead of me. The warmth in my stomach extinguished and I felt cold all over again. Was nothing different between us? Was he going to push me away, too?

We walked in silence the rest of the way out of the forest. Unlike our usually comfortable silence, the air was filled with awkward tension that I had no idea how to break. I didn't want to bring up what he told me in case it was too painful. But I also wanted to know if he was just going to ignore everything that happened.

We finally reached the edge of the forest and pushed through the last patch of brambles. The moon was high in the sky and cast a silver glow and intense shadows over the cabins. Nico finally stopped walking as soon as we were free from the stifling forest. He turned to me, but his face was cast in a shadow and I couldn't read his expression.

"Um," he voice was gravelly so he cleared his throat. "About what happened last night -" but I interrupted him.

"You don't have to explain yourself. If you just want to pretend it never happened that's fine and I know that there's nothing between us, but-"

But then Nico rushed forward pulled me into a crushing hug. For a second I forgot how to breathe. Then, when I remembered how, I still couldn't because Nico was holding me too tightly. Thankfully, Nico loosened his desperate grip on me and I wrapped my arms around him. Maybe there was a spark between us…

"I don't regret it. I'm glad I told you." He said into my ear. "And I don't want to pretend like it never happened." I smiled into his t-shirt. We stayed like this for a couple more seconds, before he pulled away. This time the warm buzz in my stomach didn't go away.

"Good night." Nico said with a small smile on his lips. For a fleeting moment I wondered what his smile would feel like on my lips. Then I blushed.

"Yeah, good night." We each turned out separate directions. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep the fuzzy feeling inside of me. Then I realized I was still wearing Nico's coat. For a brief second I thought about keeping it, savoring the lingering scent of earth and pine needles. But I knew it would be weird if Will saw me with it so I turned around. I couldn't see him very well, but the moon light outlined the frame of his small, but muscular, shoulders.

"Nico!" I called out. He turned around. I slipped off his coat and held it up, ignoring the sudden chill that struck me. "Aren't you forgetting something?" He walked back over to me, his hands in his pockets.

"Thanks." He said, removing a hand to take his coat. Our numb fingertips brushed and sparks shot up my arm.

"No problem." I replied quietly. He played with the collar of his jacket for a second before saying "Well, good night for real." I laughed softly.

"Good night, Emo boy." He gave me a final grin, which I returned, before turning and walking away. I watched his back as he strolled towards the Hades cabin. Only when he the darkness swallowed him did I turn and walk back towards my cabin. I opened the door as quietly as I could. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw that everyone was asleep. Will was sleeping in one of the chairs at the desk, his arm folded and neck resting on his shoulder. He probably fell asleep waiting for me to get back. A glance at the clock told me it was 2:28.

I slipped my shoes off and pulled my covers up to my chin. I smiled goofily to myself as I remembered the way Nico's hand fit into mine, the way his touch sent tingles up my spine.

When I finally closed my eyes I was felt like a giddy school girl. I was so consumed with thoughts of Nico and I, of what we could be, that I didn't even think to be worried about my quest. Eventually I slipped into a comfortable, dreamless sleep.

* * *

_Sooo... did you like it? REVIEW and tell me! Thank you all SO much for all the views, reviews, and favorites. Nothing makes me happier than knowing you guys like what I write! :) Stay tuned for the next chapter._

_**NOTE:** All rights for the new cover photo go to ViperPhotography!_


	12. Saying Goodbye to Camp Half-Blood

I woke up when someone shook my shoulder.

"Juliet. You have to get up." A female voice said. I was too groggy to place a name with it. I opened my eyes a little and saw Kayla. Even with messy bed head she was super pretty. I shut my eyes again and rolled over, pulling Nico's coat more tightly around my body.

My eyes snapped open.

_Oh, wait. It's not his coat. It's just my blanket. No, his jacket is softer, warmer, and smells sooo good. _My sleepy mind didn't comprehend what I was thinking. When I finally understood, I mentally smacked myself. _You sound like a gushy girly-girl_. I told myself._ Just because he trusts you enough to tell you about his past doesn't mean he likes you. _I sigh because it's true.I was about to close my eyes again when Kayla pulled my blanket off of me.

"I'm serious!" she said, not bothering to hide her grin. "You have a quest, remember?" A cold lump formed in the bottom of my stomach. How could I have forgotten? As I sat up in my bed my heart started beating fast. I remembered that I had to find Hemera, get her to help, and then defeat Erebos. Simple enough. Kayla saw my panicked expression and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Everyone gets nervous on quests." She reassured me. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, but not everyone gets a quest during their first weeks at camp." All the other campers were more powerful, wise, and trained than I was.

"Actually, you're not the only one." I looked up at her, my eyes wide. "Percy Jackson had to go on his first quest the first few days after he came to camp. He was only twelve." Suddenly I really wanted to meet him. To ask him for advice. To know if he had gotten scared.

Kayla smiled. "Come on. Nico just came by and said they want you at the Big House in half an hour." I nodded, but I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying. I was still having a minor meltdown.

_What if I never have the dreams again? What if we can't find Hemera? What if I'm too weak? What if we… die?_ My entire body filled with fear. _Okay, just breathe, Juliet. Breathe._ I took a deep breath and stood up. _Think of something happy._ Immediately, an image of Nico laughing popped into my head. I loved the way the corners of his eyes crinkled and how his entire face lit up with the joy that only a nine-year-old on Christmas day could have. I smiled as I remembered the way he clutched his stomach and threw his head backward when he laughed too hard. And the way he –

"Get a move on, girl!" Kayla suddenly exclaimed, dragging me back to the present. I blushed and turned away to pick out some clothes. I decided to wear a pair of black jeans with a loose, sky blue sweater. As I was zipping up my bag Kayla sat on my bed and leaned towards me.

"So…" She said nonchalantly. "I didn't see you come back to the cabin last night." I froze mid-zip and my eyes grew wide. I tried to explain, but I stuttered terribly.

"Oh, uh. I – we… wait no. Just me! I-I was, well…" Kayla just laughed, but quickly stopped when Will, still sitting in the chair, snorted in his sleep. She grinned at me.

"I know you were with Nico." I looked up at her, the surprise evident on my face.

"Don't tell Will." She laughed again and had to muffle it with her hand. She scooted closer towards me.

"Sooo… what did you guys do?" I looked down to hide my red face. Then I shrugged.

"Nothing, really. Just talked." And held hands. And hugged. And fell asleep together. Of course I didn't say any of this out loud, not when Will and Austin were only a few feet away. I had never had a protective older brother before and it was nice to know someone had my back, but it was also a little annoying and even scary sometimes.

"Mhmm." Kayla said and I knew she was unconvinced. Then, as if she had been wondering this the whole time, she asked, "Is he a good kisser?" If I had been drinking something, I would have spit it all over her face. Instead I just choked on my breath.

"What? No! We didn't- I mean, he's just a friend!" I could feel the heat radiating off of my face. Kayla only smiled mischievously.

"Whatever you say." Then she glanced at the clock and jumped up. "Oh! You've gotta be there in fifteen minutes!" I looked at the clock. 4:46. I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. I took the quickest shower in the history of mankind and got dressed faster than Superman. Impressive, right? I quickly brushed my hair and braided it. No makeup was necessary; after all I already looked perfect. I looked at my boring hair again and grimaced at the way it swooped perfectly in the braid. I put my hands on my head and frizzed my hair out angrily. Even after messing up my hair and loosening my braid, it still looked too good. I still didn't look memorable. If a guy saw me on the street he would probably think "Oh, she's hot" and then never think about me again. With a final groan I exited the bathroom.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw that everyone was awake. Well, almost. Austin looked like a zombie, but he managed to keep his eyes open. He gave me a sleepy grin.

"Good luck on the quest, sis." Then he engulfed me in a hug. For a second I stood frozen. No one had called me "sis" before. I like it. I hugged him back tightly, glad that someone cared that I was going away. After Austin, Victoria gave me a gentle hug. It was soft and comforting. She smelled faintly of coconut and for some reason it made me feel at ease.

"Don't doubt your powers." She whispered into my ear. When she pulled away I gave her a small smile. Next Kayla stepped in front of me.

"You know, I've never been on a quest before so I can't really give you advice…" She began. "But I can give you this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace. It matched the one that all the other campers wore, but this one didn't have any colorful beads. As she set it in my palm I saw a tiny gold charm. It was a sun. I looked up at her and grinned.

"It's beautiful! Thank you!" She shrugged but smiled.

"Usually Chiron waits until the end of summer to give new campers their necklaces, but he made an exception." I tied it around my neck and looked down at the shiny pendant. It was fairly small so I was surprised by the detail in it. There were swirls, dots, and even some Ancient Greek!

"I love it!" I exclaimed again and everyone laughed. Kayla gave me a quick, but firm, hug and stepped back. When Will came forward I felt a little nervous. After all, he knew that I had stayed out with Nico.

Will folded his arms and looked down at me sternly. He was a few inches taller than me and I felt like a child who had gotten caught with a hand in the cookie jar. I cowered under his glare and I was about to say something when he started laughing. I looked up and saw that his hard expression had cracked and there was nothing but the usual smile. His incredibly blue eyes shimmered with affection, worry, and pride. By now I had completely gotten over how gorgeous he was. Now he was nothing more than my big brother.

He pulled me towards him and in a strong, warm hug. I closed my eyes and melted into his arms. I felt really small suddenly, and frail, but I was glad to know that Will would always have my back.

"I can't believe I'm letting you go on a quest with Nico," Will mumbled into my ear. I was glad that my face was hidden by Will's shoulder because otherwise everyone would have been able to see my red face. "He seems kind of sketchy to me." All the nervous tension in my chest exploded in a laugh. I pulled away from Will and tried to contain my sudden outburst, but to no avail. I laughed so hard that my stomach burned. Austin glanced at Victoria and mouthed the words "Is she okay?". Then Kayla snorted and laughed with me. Then Will. Then Austin and Victoria. I quickly forgot why we were even laughing, but I enjoyed the warm feeling that it put in my stomach.

Once our insane laughter subsided and we wiped the tears from our eyes, I looked at each of my half-siblings. Pride and affection swelled in my chest. I had only known them for two weeks, but I already loved them. A lump formed in my throat at the thought of leaving them. Austin caught my eye and he seemed to read my mind. His humorous, green eyes softened.

"You'll be back soon, sis." He reassured me. He picked up my pathetic blue backpack and held it out. "But right now the world needs you." I took the backpack and slung it over my shoulder. He was right, but it still scared me. I gave them all one last smile before turning and leaving.

The morning air was already warm so I knew it was going to be a hot day. I regretted my choice of wearing a sweater. As I trekked towards the Big House I looked around at the camp, taking in little details that I hadn't noticed before. With a start I realized this was the same thing I had done when I had left my house. I had looked around my room and tried to memorize everything, as if I would never see it again.

_You'll come back to camp_. I tell myself. _It's only going to be a few weeks, at the most_. But my self-reassurance was shallow and halfhearted. My stomach growled as I walked up the porch steps. I mentally noted that the second to last step creaked. I pushed open the door and saw Oliver, Nico, Chiron, and a dude with hundreds of eyes all over his body. Nico had been pacing back and forth and was fiddling with his skull ring. When he heard the door close he looked up and his eyes flooded with relief. I noticed that his eyes were dark and soft and I wondered if he was still replaying what happened last night in his mind. I know I was.

Oliver stood up as well and slung his black backpack over his shoulder.

"Took you long enough." He said, but I could see the humor sparkle in his eyes.

"Yeah, sorry about that." I said guiltily. Oliver just shrugged like it was no big deal. Nico's relieved expression was gone and replaced with nervous panic. He strode up to me and grabbed my shoulders.

"Um, Nico?" I asked. I was a little concerned about him. Then he whipped me around so that I was facing the door.

"Okay," He said quickly. "Backpack, check." He turned me back around and I stumbled into Oliver. Nico pulled a bag of slightly smushed lemon squares out of his pocket and handed them to me. "Ambrosia, check."

"This is Ambrosia?" I asked skeptically. It looked so… ungodly. And normal.

"Yes. Now put it in your bag." Nico snapped.

_Okay! Sheesh_… I slipped off my bag and put it in the small pocket next to my iPod. When I had finished this, Nico started his pacing again. He was mumbling "What else? I know she's missing something…" I glanced at Oliver, but he just shook his head and mouthed "I have no idea".

Nico abruptly stopped walking. He was facing away from me, but he slowly turned around, his shoulders tense. His eyes were wide with quiet frustration. He scanned my body up and down.

"Where's your weapon?" He asked quietly.

_Crap_.

"Oh, I guess I forgot it. I'll just go get -" But then Nico held his hand up.

"No, no. I'll do it." Annoyance and anger sparked in the back of my mind. Nico stuck his hands in his pocket and stalked towards the door. I ignored how attractive he looked when he was mad. I pretended not to notice the way his bedraggled hair fell in front of his eyes. I especially overlooked the electricity that sparked when his arm brushed mine as he walked out the door. No, I was too angry to notice any of this.

When the door slammed shut, the rest of us stood in silence for a couple of seconds, waiting for someone to say something.

"So, anyways…" Oliver said, hoping that someone else would pick up the rest of his sentence. No one did. It just made things more awkward. Then Chiron's eyes lit up.

"I almost forgot," He said. He gestured to the man covered in eyes. "This is Argus. He will drive you three to the train station."

_Train station? _Suddenly it occurred to me that I had never even asked how we were going to get to Sunrise, Florida. I mentally smacked myself. Chiron pulled out three train tickets, a wad of cash, and a handful of drachmas. He gave me two of the tickets, one for me and one for Nico, and gave Oliver the final ticket and the money.

"It's not very much," Chiron confessed. "But it should be enough to keep you fed for a week." I nodded in thanks and pocketed the two tickets. Just then the door opened and Nico came inside, holding my mace in his hands. His face was pink and he avoided my eyes. At first I thought it was because he was mad at me, but then I realized that it was because he was embarrassed. But why? He stepped towards me and gave me my weapon. Our fingers brushed and I suddenly forgot that I was supposed to be angry with him. Nico glanced up at me and I caught his eye. I gave him a questioning look and he just gave me a small shrug. I took it as "I'll tell you later".

Chiron clasped his hands together and gave us all a huge grin.

"I believe you are ready to begin your quest. May the gods be kind and help you on your way." Nico scoffed and said, "Since when have the gods ever helped us?" Chiron gave him a stern look. Nico rolled his eyes, but held his hands up in defeat.

"Goodbye, heroes." Chiron said and Argus led us out of the Big House. I thought about Chiron's last words. Was I really a hero? Did I really deserve that title? Oliver walked quickly to keep up with Argus, but Nico fell behind. I remembered that he had something to tell me so I slowed down until he caught up with me.

"So," I said as we walked up the hill. "Is there something you want to tell me?" Nico's cheeks flared pink as he recalled whatever it was that happened. He cleared his throat.

"Uh, no. Not really…" I looked at him and raised my eyebrows.

"Oh really?" We had a stare down, but I won. Nico sighed.

"Fine." He said finally. "When I went to get your mace, I, uh, bumped into Will." Nico glanced at me and something clicked in my mind. This wasn't going to be good.

"Oh." I said flatly, trying not to show how interested I really was. "What did he say?" Nico shrugged, but I could tell that he actually cared.

"Oh, you know." He said casually. "The usual: 'Hey! How are you? The weather's been nice. If you hurt my sister I'll beat you within an inch of your life.'" I nearly choked.

"He said _what_?" I was so shocked that the easy going, happy Will would ever threaten someone. Even so, it made me love him even more knowing that he was looking out for me.

Nico rubbed the back of his head and stared at his feet. He looked cute when he was flustered.

"Yeah. But don't worry, I told him there was nothing going on between us." My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. Of course there's nothing between us. We're just good friends. Then Nico looked up at me. His eyes were big and round. They looked a little sad. There was something else in them, too. Hope? "I told him we're just friends." My throat constricted as I stared into his eyes. They were so dark, but warm. My heart beat quickened.

"Right. Just friends." I whispered, tearing my eyes away from his. But not before I saw the hope in his eyes flicker and die.

_Great. I probably ruined my only chance to tell him how I feel. _We walked the rest of the way up the hill in silence. It was a little awkward, but also thoughtful. I sighed quietly.

_ Why is it that every time we talk it always ends in awkward silence? When did we become so uncomfortable around each other? _ After a few seconds of thinking, it dawned on me. Ever since I developed feelings for Nico, our conversations had started getting flirtier, and weirder, and ending uncomfortably. It almost seemed like we were growing more distant. After Nico told me how everyone he cared about let him down, I felt like I needed to stay even closer to him. _If that means I have to forget about the way I really feel about him, then I'll do it. If my feelings are going to get in the way of our friendship, then I have to do something about it. _I set my jaw firmly and clenched my fists. I was determined to push aside my silly emotions and stay friends with Nico.

When we reached the top of the hill Oliver and Argus had already loaded the van and were seated in the front. That meant me and Nico had to sit in the back. I opened the door and was greeted by Oliver's wide grin and a wink from the eye on Argus' elbow.

_What was that all about?_ I thought as I buckled my seat-belt. Nico climbed in on the other side and we set our bags in between us. I felt like our bags represented the barrier that was forming between us so I shoved mine to the floor. Nico gave me a questioning look, but pushed his onto the floor as well. I turned away and looked out the window, but I couldn't keep a smile from forming on my lips. Things between Nico and I were going to get much better.

My grin soon faded, however when I saw Camp Half-Blood spread out before me. It looked just as breathtaking as it did the first time I saw it. I felt a wrenching feeling in my stomach as Argus started the van. I didn't want to leave, I really didn't. I tore my eyes away from Camp, and looked back at Nico. He was already looking at me. There was an expression in his eyes that I couldn't place, but it reassured me. It made me feel like I could rule the world. Like I was unstoppable.

I relished in the warm confidence that filled me. As Argus drove away, I took one last look at Camp Half-Blood, but when it disappeared from view I didn't feel scared. Okay, maybe a little. But with Nico and Oliver by my side I felt like I could do this. Like I actually had a chance at saving the world.

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_Well, there you go! I appreciate any reviews!_


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